Zootopia: SpecieSwitch
by FredCat
Summary: On the unexpected day, Nick and Judy had their species switched, but they kept their place, things, memory, and their fur color with the exception of their clothes size. Through the struggles and flaws, they managed to developing the new habit for their new appearances. But would they return to their former appearances or would they be like that for rest of their life?
1. Chapter J1: Smaller than I realized

**Credit**

* Zootopia characters in this chapter belong to Disney

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 **Author Note:** Since _N.J.W.H's_ review had been bothering in my mind, I had decided to just going for it. I went back to this chapter and reworked on it to make it longer by give it more details, additional various. But I decided to just leave it the same as it was in the old version (which was Grade 1 writing chapter). So if that satisfied you lot, then please leave the review to give your knowledge to it. If it does help you lot, then I will be glad to reworking on Chapter N1 and onward to make them longer.

And now, without further ado...

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I swore that I had a long morning today. I laid in my bed in my apartment, enjoy the warmth that the cheap bed had offered. Unfortunately, the biologic clock in my head was ticking, waking me from my slumber. Ah, it's a new day, which was going to be a brighter, better, and fresher day than yesterday. I stirred slightly then I rolled onto my back and stretched until I felt my back pop softly. That loosened my muscles up a little bit. I slowly opened my eyes, but I shut them quickly when the daylight pierced my eyes. That light coming from the window was so bright that it blinded me. I couldn't specify how this happened. Unconsciously I brought my paws to my face and pressed my palms against my eyes. I started to rub my stinging eyes as I sat up. I could feel the… claws… touching on the bridge of my nose, nearly piercing my flesh. Welp, I should be careful with my claws - I felt the claws scratching my nose as I pressed my paws on my eyelids, which helped relieve the itch in my muzzle while I was rubbing the pain out of my eyes. For some reason, my nose felt longer than it had been.

"Bah," I spoke for the first time this morning and my voice sounded deeper and stronger than normal.

I had a feeling that it was no use stalling, so I slid my legs out from the underneath the blanket, put my hind-paws on the floor, and slowly stood up from my bed. I moved to the lone window, felt the wall for the stick to close the blinds. The light dimmed, which eased the pain in my eyes. I slowly opened my eyes again, seeing my paw with four claws, one on each digit. I let the stick go and turned my paw around so I could see the pads. I turned to the door and walked to the desk. Besides my voice, I listened to the sounds, which were really quiet for some reason. I blinked as I folded my digits, poking my paw pads with my claws. I reminded myself to be careful with the claws since they were very sharp. With my free paw swinging to the desk, I found myself a taller than I remembered - two or three inches had been added to my height. My attention was drawn to the desk. I wiggled my left ear in curiosity about how my height changed. I shook my head, tossing the conflict from my mind to my 'Later' list. I didn't want my distraction to my chief a reason to put me on Parking Duty, a job that I've hated since day one. I grabbed the collar of my pajama shirt and pulled it up with my eyes closed.

"Hm," I hummed lightly.

When I opened my eyes, I was smoothing my blue jumpsuit sleeve on my left wrist. I found out that the fur of my bunny tail had grown over night. Perhaps it was preparation for the winter season. I decided to think about that later too. I had replaced my pajamas with my cop uniform. The jumpsuit was the start of it. I continued humming as I turned to the black chest armor. I held it above my head with one of my arms already in place. I lowered the chest armor to my body, and inserted my remaining arm through the hole. Once the chest armor wrapped my ribcage, I tugged and wiggled it a little bit until it felt right on my body. I turned to the desk and grabbed my bracelet. I put it on my right forearm and pulled the velcro, tightening it, and pressed it in place. I picked the second bracelet while I perked my bunny ears, trying to hear my surroundings again. While putting the bracelet on my left forearm, I could barely hear anything except pawsteps. They were almost too quiet for my liking. I wiggled the digits of my left paw as I tugged the bracelet a little bit. I tightened then slapped its velcro into place. I peeked my gold shield on the desk, and picked it up. I noticed that it didn't shine. I rocked the paw that held it back and forth, getting it to shine. I realized that there was no light in the room other than the daylight coming through the closed blinds. Yet I could see the room just fine. I shrugged slightly then pinned my badge on my chest armor, over my heart - it felt a little smaller than before. One more thing for my 'Later' list as well. As I still loathed Parking Duty I needed to get moving. I collected my cPhone, keys, and wallet, pocketed them and turned to the door.

"Hm," a noise escaped from my throat as I proceeded to the door of my apartment room, opening it slowly so I could see normally.

It worked, I was able to keep my eyes open as I walked out of my room. I closed the door and locked it, then I made my way through the empty hall to the stairs. Exercise was good for a fine rabbit cop like myself. Again, despite the darkness in the stairs, I could see just fine. I was not sure why I was able to see when I couldn't on other days. When I reached the first floor, I exited the stairs. I encountered another empty hall. That was the least my problem as I had to worry about my oversized 'claws', overgrown tail, and light-sensitivity. By the time I reached the lobby of the apartment, I could see an armadillo zootopian, Dharma Armadillo, occupying her office and watching the lobby. I frowned knowing that I had to reveal my unpolished appearance to her. But if I compared my landlady to my boss, the latter was worse. Therefore, I pressed on anyways. Dharma looked up to me with a flabbergasted expression. I sighed as I walked to her desk.

"Landlady Dharma? Are you alright?" I questioned.

She closed her mouth then she nodded, "Um, yes. So… is that you, Judy?"

"Yes, the one and only," I responded with a lazy gaze, showing that I was relieved.

She sighed softly, fixing her reading eyeglasses, "Well, that's good. But I shouldn't hold you back. I don't want your boss scolding you for being late. So… lose that wolfy grin and take your leave."

I hesitated for a moment at the last statement she made, but nodded in understanding before turning to the entrance doors. I wondered why she mentioned the 'wolfy' word even though I am a rabbit. I lifted my paw to the door and pressed it open, with white light glistening my eyes.


	2. Chapter N1: Blinded by the Pain

**Chapter Reviews:**

 _niraD:_ Thank you for your review. Though what you said is true that she did noticed the changes on her anatomy, but it's more of her physical memory that didn't give her a full attention on the change. Subconscious, maybe.

And yes, she could had to investigating on her change almost immediately, but there are two reasons of why she did not do that - 1) the above reason; "Subconscious", which her mind couldn't realize the full change, such as her physical size, fluffal tail, etc. and 2) she didn't want Bogo to murder her for being late, determined her being top police in the class along with Nick.

Lastly, yes, her color hadn't changed. As explained in the story's head summary - "...but they kept their place, things, memory*, and their fur color..." - which proved that Judy is still Judy, with her uniform and fur colors that Dharma could realizing her that easy. Since Judy's the only cop in the apartment, so it's obviously.

Additional, the detail of why she didn't straight to that will be explaining in few chapters (to be honest, I also focused on Nick as alternative chapters, back-n-forth between both characters).

 _N.J.W.H:_ Yup, one of many "characters switch bodies" stories. And my apology for making those chapters super short. It's because it's the morning and they barely realized of how they were affected by the switch, as I explained to niraD.

Additional details that I didn't explain to niraD - if you have read/watch "Noragami" (also known as "Stray God" in English released). It is say that you don't see almost the whole image in one shot. As seen in the start of Volume 2 (of the manga), the girl, who is protagonist of said manga, didn't able to catch on four waitresses because of the "blindspot". Same reason that the waitress that served the drinks didn't see the God of Calamity and his "blade" servant because they're technology 'invisible' to the ones that are little too busy on the job.

So approve that logic to this story; Judy didn't see the whole image of her being "Oh, I am a fox!" image because her mind was focused on getting to Precinct One in time. But yes, she did notice that she got claws and her things "shrank" as far as she believed. While in this chapter, let's see if Nick could detailing out more than Judy did.

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Credit

* Zootopia characters that appeared in this chapter belong to Disney

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For once, I had never thought that the bed felt this comfortable in the morning. I laid on my back with my limbs sprawled out. I would have liked to sleep in until noon, but I recalled that I had daytime duty - the first fox police on the force of Precinct One. How disappointing.

"Hm," I flinched as i felt the itch on my muzzle before I put my left paw to my face and slowly scratched that spot.

Once I started to scratch my muzzle, I felt the end of erasers on tips of my paw in the place of sharp claws. The itch in my muzzle was long forgotten as I sat up rapidly and opened my eyes in surprise. I put my paws in front of my face and saw that I had a pair of tiny paws instead of those I used to know. They looked like to those that Carrots had, included the padless parts. I blinked as I lifted my ears that were heavier than I was used to.

"Argh," I grunted as the red flashing in my sight.

A blinding red pain exploded in my head so I put my paws on my head, trying to get it to stop. But it was no use. I crawled off the bed with some struggle - per usual, I relied on my night vision to move around, but now it's morning. With the pain filling my head it was challenge to stand straight let alone walk in a straight line. Well, trying to see was not an option due to the red pain, which perfectly blocked my vision. And it's good that I slept in my casually clothes. Those were what I wore during my conmammal days. Otherwise, it would take a huge effort to change clothes while I was still blinded by the red pain. I started to moving toward the door and found myself unable to reach the door within the usual number of steps. So I fluttered my free paw in front of me as I tried to feel for the door while I walked.

"Ah," I said, which I couldn't able to pick up with my ears, as I touched the door and proceeded to opening it.

Suddenly, I remembered - I was on third floor of the building where I was 'home'. Ergo, the travel down to the ground floor would be challenge. Wish I had taken the one-floor building to stay in instead. I pulled the doorknob to open the door and proceeded my way out of the room that I was stay in. Immediately, I pulled up the building map in my mind and I tracked my location in the building. That was very useful in my conmammal days when I had to pull an escape. I should forget about using the elevator as I couldn't see where to go or see the buttons. Normally it takes me seven steps to go from my bed to the door. But this morning it took ten. Argh, my head. The headache had my mind unfocused. I blinked my eyes as I could feel the tears running down my muzzle. The red pain was still in my head as I moved toward the stairs if I could remember the specific distance. It would be a longer journey due to the increase number of my pawsteps. I felt like I wanted to run like a rabbit.

"Hm," I sighed as the pain lessened, but still I could only see red. As a bonus, my mental map returned.

I had to recheck my location - thirteen steps from the room where I was staying. If I had to measure of the distance since I awakened, it would be another ten of my current sized steps. I was a little wobbly as I continued. Ok, more than ten pawsteps because of my unstable balance. I lifted my paw to my muzzle and wiped the tears off, instinctively, as I did my best to move toward the stair 'door'. Once I went past the doorframe and proceeded to step, I found out that I couldn't feel the solid floor. That was the first step of the stair. I had to bend my knee so that my hind paw would be able to reach the next step. Once my hind paw touched the platform, my weight shifted to that paw before I moved my other hind paw to the stair tread. This continued until I reached halfway to the second floor. My ears slowly folded backward, reducing the tone of red in my vision, and allowing me to see what coming up next. The muscles that support my ears had stiffened during the headache. I increased my pace down the stairs because I was able to concentrate.

Once I reached the first floor, I sighed, "Auuh."

It would be a challenge for me and my poor ears. I tried to block the red pain out before I reached for the doorframe and pushed myself forth, exiting from the staircase. I grunted as I had expected, the red pain flooding in my head, mainly my eyes. I turned to the left as I shook my head and started to make my way toward the entrance of the building. I lifted my paw to feel the cold glass of the door and pushed it open, which allowed me out of the building. The color that flooded my eyes changed from red to white as I proceeded.


	3. Chapter J2: Stunning Audience

**Chapter Review:**

 _MrMasterplan:_ Why, thank you! Without further ado...

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Credit

* Zootopia characters that appeared in this chapter belong to Disney

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I stepped out of the apartment building and started walking my way toward the bus stop. The morning light was not quite as strong as it had been in my room. I still didn't understand why my landlady gave me a strange stare, nor the reason of her being suddenly shorter. No, almost anything around me and my clothes were smaller than I could put my claws on. Once I reached the bus stop, I stood and waited with few zootopians that were glancing at… my appearance, or so what I could believe. Perhaps it was my overgrown bushy tail or something like that.

"Hmm," I voiced as I scanned over the zootopians, who were now half shorter… like I was comparing them to Nick's height for some reason. I studied their sneaking glances.

I became aware of them staring at me, but as Nick had told me, I shouldn't let that bother me. It was because of his quote; 'Never let 'em see that they get to you'. I looked down to my left paw, I should checked out my claws since I nearly scratched myself when I woke up this morning. I was not sure how it happened during the nighttime, I guess I should get them filed once I had a time for breathing easy.

"Are you a new officer on the force?" the sheep on my left asked. This made me turn my head from my paw to her.

"Actually, I am Officer Hopps. I will be sure to trim my overgrown tail and file my claws once I get a chance," I answered.

"I see… you look nice in the grey," she added, seemed to be polite for some reasons, "So I should not bother you anymore. Take care, officer."

She stepped a few paws back and I smiled slightly as I responded, "Thank you. And you too."

I returned my focus back to my claws and continued to analyzing them some more. Sure, I gotten bigger in height, had an overgrown bushy tail to deal with, and a set of claws to see through.

"No, that's really rude to harass the officer," the female mammal hissed from behind me on the right.

For some funny reason, I couldn't hear the meter from a distance, though I could hear an upset mother behind me. So I turned my head to glance over my shoulder and spied on what this mammal was talking about. It was a mother hare, who tried to keep her doe from reaching for my unusual tail and gave it a squeeze or pat.

"This officer said that she's Judy Hopps. So that should be alright," the doe reminded her mother as she took a step closer to me.

Before her mother could complain more, I interrupted her with a finger in the air, "She can have one pat. And that will be sufficient."

"Uh… Alright, she allowed you one pat. But please leave the officer alone after that - she has a job to do," the brown hare allowed with a sad sigh.

I transposed my attention to the doe as she moved to my tail and gave it a stroke. Her face showed that she was satisfied with the 'pat' I offered. A smile was brought to my muzzle as I nodded to her as she looked up to me. She left me and returned to her mother's side. At last, the traveling bus arrived at where we waited and we got in. The zootopians went to various seats in the bus while I took one in the back. Once I sat down, I could feel many eyes on me. I blinked as I scanned the zootopians with a surprise expression.

"What?" I called out, which made them, included the driver, return to their business.

I sighed as the traveling bus started moving forth. I shook my head to pry the funny feeling out of my head. I shifted in my seat so I could find the comfortable position before I exhaled gently. I was starting to think that almost all zootopians with the exception of kits treated me as if I was an entirely different mammal. What was I saying is I am a rabbit, not a beautiful vixen or something like that. It's just… I couldn't put my claws on this logic.

"Ah," I snapped at the fact that Precinct One would be on the third stop after I got on the bus. I had to endure two stops before I could get off and I was having this problem in my mind now.

I felt the force of forth motion as the bus stopped at the first stop. At least a half of the zootopians got off and a quarter of new zootopians got in. When they glanced at me, they were startling by my appearances. I also startled by their suddenly surprise. But they moved on and sat onto their seats. I blinked as I watched the otter walk up to the seat beside me and not flinch at my appearance. He sat down like if his day was just normal one. The force of motion pushed backward as the bus started to moving. I exhaled lightly as I tried to keep my mind clear. I wondered if Nick could make it to Precinct One, given his nocturnal nature. Speak of nocturnal, my sight was starting to hurt from the light inside the bus. I didn't understand why I suffered in this way. Could it be some kind of hypnosis that made me believe I am seeing fox parts and that the zootopians were reacting to them?

"Ah," I startled as the bus stopped once again. That marked the second stop.

At least a quarter of the different zootopians got off before other zootopians got onboard. Among of the new ones that joined us was a wolf. The reason I paid special attention to this wolf was that he sniffed the air before he looked at me. He gave me a smile before he went to an empty seat in the middle of the bus. Ok, I wa still hypnotized. Not just with the consciousness of my appearance, but with the way of how the zootopians reacted to me, even to the scent that my 'appearance' was giving out. I blinked as I felt a paw on my left forearm. I shifted my head to the otter that sat beside me. He gave me a friendly smile. For some reason he looked a little familiar… but I was not sure where from.

"Doing alright, officer?" he questioned.

I exhaled and shook my head, "Not quite. The light was what bothering my eyes. And I am worried about my partner."

"I see," he nodded, understanding how I felt, "I suppose that your partner's always late?"

"Late by a minute or two," I answered with a smile on my muzzle. My attention was now on the floor of the bus.

The otter patted my forearm before he pulled it back to his laps as he spoke, "Then you don't have to worry about your partner. As long as your boss doesn't have to put up with both of you, then your partner will be fine being late."

"Oh, if you knew my boss… he won't like it if even one of us is late to the job," I admitted nervously.

"I see…" he nodded once again, "Perhaps you should set up the alarm to wake your partner on time, so you both won't be late everyday."

"That's good advice. I will keep that in the mind," I spoke as i looked up to him. At the window, I saw the station coming up, which I realized that it was already my stop, "Oh, and here's my stop. Thank you for keeping me from losing my mind."

"Glad to help. Name's Emmitt Otterton," he smiled as he stuck out a paw.

I smiled as the name reappeared in my mind, "Ah, yes. You were the victim of "Missing Mammals' case. I am sure you should know me - I am Judy Hopps."

I reached for his paw and shook it. I got off my seat and hopped my way down the stairs once the bus stopped. Before I could get out of the vehicle, I heard him mumbling, "Uh, wasn't Judy Hopps the rabbit cop?"

That stunned me for a minute - Mr. Otterton also didn't know me that well. Now I was thinking that the more I learned, the less proof there was that I was hypnotized. But I need more support to that fact…


	4. Chapter N2: Fennec and Noise

Credit

* Zootopia characters that appeared in this chapter belong to Disney

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After I stepped out of the building that I called home, my head was still filled with various noises. Enough noise to make me struggle to stay on my hind paws as I stepped off the stair. I did my best to focus on my goal; looking for my hustling partner. Maybe he knew a better way for me to deal with this problem. The red shattering designs continued to pop inside my head, where my ears were attached to my brain and they were still loud.

"Augh," I spoke, though I barely could hear my own voice. I turned to the street and limped my way toward the location where I knew my partner would be.

Though I was completely blind, I knew the street and city so well I could travel to the location in my sleep. Therefore I relied on my memory of the Zootopia's layout map and guided myself toward the red van. It was hard to keep the map steady with all of the pressure of sounds in my head, for whatever reason my ears were able to hear all the loud noise that I had've not heard before.

"Ah," I spoke as I slowly lifted my paw from my head so I could feel the wall on my left and be able to calcul- ugh, the noise was too much for me to figure the main problem out.

"My head still hurt from the echo of the noises as i paced forth. For some reason, I was able to detect familiar music over all the noise proving that I was on the right track. The music grew louder as I approached the… aisle whatever before I turned to the opening of the aisle. I waved my left arm in front of my body, trying to feel the bumper of the van.

"Argh," I whispered, which was completely lost in the red noise that I had in my head.

However, once I was inside the aisle… wherever it was, the noise became quieter and quieter as I limped further in. Unfortunately, the red shattering designs were still echoing inside my head, but they were reduced to one-tenth. And that helped my vision to become clearer, so I could see solid things, included Finnick's van. Once I reached the backside of his van, I dropped onto my knees and laid my palm on the bumper.

"Finn, come out. It's Nick," I called out as I attempted to knock on the door above the bumper.

Despite the bother in my head, I could hear his pawsteps as he stomped in his vehicle. I heard him shouting, "My pup, whu wit ye up dis early today?"

"Just come out. I need your help," I said, almost begging. I slid my paw off the bumper and sat on my hind paws while I struggled to keep my head from bursting.

The door opened with a loud pop and I winced at the sound. I focused my attention on my friend. He seemed confused at first then he hopped over me, landing behind me. He turned me around forcefully so he could see me better in the morning light.

"Whu?" the fennec fox blinked in stunned surprise as he stepped back.

The next thing I saw on him was his shocked expression as he did a double-check on my… problem. And it was definitely not a grand news.

"What do you see?" I asked. I could finally hear my own voice.

"Nick? Yer a bunny, like that copper gal ye alway' b'ing wit," he answered, which added to my confusion.

With the noise in my head, all those counted pawsteps, and now I had to acknowledge myself as a… bunny! My stomach was unsettled, my cheeks puffed up and my sight turned red. And from there, I passed out cold.


	5. Chapter J3: Shocking News

Credit

* Zootopia characters that appeared in this chapter belong to Disney

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I shook my head as I stepped onto the street. I started to work my way toward Precinct One. I was still not did get that almost anyone around me, especially Mr. Otterton, believed that I was a fox. I pushed my paw on the glass door to enter the building. I greeted Benjamin Clawhauser, the friendly cheetah, who was at the radio dispatcher's desk.

"Hello- Uh," he started once he lifted his face from his bowl of cereal. He started once his eyes landed on me.

I made a grimace - this was getting ridiculous. It started with my landlady, followed by the zootopians at the bus top, then again inside the bus, and now the soon-to-be cops. But I decided to ignore Benjamin's shocked expression and pressed on to the checking in/checking out time clock and signed myself in. I worked my way to the bullpen, where I would be ready for the roll call.

"Hm," I sighed as I approached the doorway that led to the bullpen.

I walked past the door and… almost everyone in the room turned to look at me as I walked to my empty seat. They suddenly turned and murmured to each other. Normally, I could pick up what they were saying, but I couldn't today. I turned to my seat, which was a little smaller than I recalled. It was as if it was fitted for a wolf, rather than a rhino. I pulled myself up onto the seat. When I turned around to sit down, I noticed that the rhino who sat next to me had the same size chair as I was climbing on. That's one more thing that indicated that I was a fox. It was difficult for me to understand that I was more fox and less bunny.

"Hmm… Wilde, is that you?" Officer McHorn questioned. He looked over to me while staying in a static position, like he did the first day I arrived.

"No," I answered. I took my seat. This was getting frustrating. I continued, "I am Officer Hopps. I don't understand why you think I'm someone else."

"Really funny, Wilde…" the rhino snickered, "…that's one awesome way you've got your fur dyed grey and you put your sewing skill to use by designing what looks like Hopps' uniform for your frame."

I groaned at his comment turn turned to him and gave him a look that could freeze Sahara Square. I spoke, "Listen here, Officer McHorn. If i were Nick I'd be snarky and make puns. But I am not. Please refrain from calling me Wilde."

"Atten-Hut!" Officer Higgins called out, informing us that Chief Bogo was approaching the podium. He stood behind it.

"Alright! Alright! Shut those whispers right now!" the familiar booming voice came from the chief as he looked around the room, "What was this murmuring about?"

I turned my attention back to the podium and waited. The cape buffalo studied the room before he spotted me. My appearance surprised him and he made a concerned expression.

"Hopps, you hold on that pen of yours. I will brief the rest of officers, then we can discuss this 'murmur' business in my office, alright?" he called out. I sat up straight and saluted him.

For the next minutes, I was oblivious to what the chief was saying or did I pay any attention to the room. By the time I snapped back to reality, it was just me and Chief Bogo. He stepped away from the podium while I got off my chair. I made my way to the door that he usually used. I followed him to his office and hopped on the seat in front of his desk.

"So… Hopps… have you seen your appearance yet? I mean, the full physical appearance of yourself?" the cape buffalo inquired.

"No," I answered. I suddenly remembered something from earlier so I added, "The mirror that I had in my apartment was broken so I had to get rid of it. The new one is already ordered, but it has not arrived yet."

He seemed like he was trying to remember the event, then it clicked in his mind. He started to speak again, "Oh yes, you told me that two weeks ago. It's either bad luck or it could be related to this case."

He pointed at me, when he referred to my 'appearance', and I sighed lightly. We proceeded to the next part. It was getting serious at this point.

"This morning, you have noticed folks… murmuring and staring at you, right?" Chief Bogo said. It seemed like he was suggesting that I think about something.

"Yes, sir, but I couldn't hear them very well," I answered. I recalled that once I could hear an upset mother hare hissing but I couldn't hear a meter maid a moderate distance away.

I watched him nod. It was as if the gears in his head was winding up under that pair of huge horns. He laid his forearms on the desk and put his weight on his arms. He smiled at me…politely, it seemed to me.

"Would you like to tell you about… your appearance or do you want to figure that out on your own?" he stringed the question from his previous one.

"Well," I started. I looked to the left before I made my decision. "I would like to see my appearance with my own eyes. A paw-mirror would be sufficient."

Once my sight returned to my boss, he gave me a nod. He reached in a drawer and grabbed a bunny-sized paw-mirror, as I requested. He pawed it to me. I grabbed the handle, brought it to me, and lifted it to my face so I could see my reflection.

"Oh," I recognized the whole truth of me being actually a 'vixen'. In the mirror was a grey vixen staring at me. Adding proof was the pair of amethyst eyes, a rare trait among zootopians.

I decided to test my hypnotic theory. I started to wiggling my left ear. My reflection mimicked what I did with her right ear. I turned my head slightly, which the reflection did the same in the opposite direction.

"So… you recognized me immediately, so that means I was not hypnotized," I spoke. My chief shook his head.

"No," he responded, "You're not. Otherwise, I would have berated you for daydreaming that you were a fox."

"Hmm. I am a fox after all," I said. I accepted my fate this morning. I lowered the mirror from my face as I continued, "That explains all those strange things that happened to me this morning."

"Yeah," Chief Bogo agreed. He was sitting in his chair behind his desk with his forearms crossed again. He continued, "Have you suffered any side effects of your change of appearance? Other than the nearly blinding brightness?"

"No, sir, I feel normal. Why?" I answered. I laid the paw-mirror on the chair.

"Otherwise, I would be forced to send you to the medic. But since you seem fine, it's not necessary," he admitted. He smiled softly.

He uncrossed his arms and put his hooves in the air. He spoke, "By the way, do you know where Officer Wilde is?"

"Do I know where Officer Wilde is presently? No, no, I do not. I was in a rush to get here when I determined the situation changed. Should I call him in?" I answered.

He shook his head. He spoke, "Well, not for this case I'm about to present to you, unless you need his assistance. I am certain that you can tackle this case and learn to use your new abilities on your own."

I was taken aback by my boss's choice of words. Perhaps this cape buffalo wanted me to actively challenge him using my 'first bunny cop' ability. I had proved him wrong when I cleared the 'Missing Mammals' case with nothing but a recorder carrot pen, chest armor, and the brains to investigate the file that contained little to no information. I saw a flaw in his logic about me when I closed the biggest case; I had Nick Wilde when I basically had no leads to crack the case. I could see Chief Bogo's points about my improvement.

"Alright, I accept going solo for this case, just this once," I said. I had made up my mind. I lifted my finger as I compromised, "And if I fail, this case will fall to the paw of Officer Wilde."

"Hm, alright, that's a deal," he nodded. He picked up the file, stood up, leaned forward, and pawed it to me.

I saluted before I grabbed the file. I took my leave from the office and worked my way to my cubicle. I opened the file and studied the paper in it. It told a story about missing twin kits somewhere in Nocturnal District. It would be easier if this file had been given to Wolford or Grizzle, however, they had refused to take this case early on. I walked to my desk in the cubicle and turned to sit on my seat as I continued to read. I laid the file on the desk, left it open. Instinctively, I reached for the notepad and the recorder carrot pen in the drawer and my uniform pocket, respective. I had them prepared as I double-checked the information in the file and wrote notes down on the notepad. I covered the address of where they were seen, the description of how they looked, and the date they were last seen.

"Hm," I exhaled. I had written all the necessary parts on the notepad.

I pocketed the recorder carrot pen then I opened the drawer and put the file in it. In the past, for one of my many cases, I had made a mistake. I carried the original file out of Precinct One and accidentally lost it. I nearly lost my life when I was strangled by Chief Bogo. I learned from that mistake. I now made a habit of taking small notes about the files. That covered the necessary details so I don't have to worry about bringing the whole book each time I go out to solve the case. Here in the drawer, where I dropped the case file just now, was a safe zone. It makes it easier to keep the original files from getting lost. I closed the drawer, I hopped down to the floor, and made my way to the entrance of the building. As I approached the radio dispatcher's desk, the recently memory of my conversation with McHorn resurfaced.

"Oh, sweet cheese and crackers," I mumbled. I realized that many zootopians would recognizing me as Officer Wilde more than Officer Hopps.

I turned my head to the friendly cheetah. He was scratching his head, almost as if he was trying to straighten up his confusion.

I spoke, "May I have a key for an undercover cruiser. I need to travel to Nocturnal District and I am not taking a taxi."

"Oh," Benjamin snapped out of his revery. He looked at me before he went searching and jumbling for a key in the drawer. He spoke as he searched, "Alright, one key for an undercover cruiser coming up…"

He fetched a key that he passed to me. I would let him clear his confusion on his own or perhaps with help from Chief Bogo. I paced my way to the garage. I pushed the unlock button on the key so I could locate the undercover cruiser. For some reason, I easily spotted the yellow blinkers from the distance. It was three thousand rabbit paws from where I stood. I walked to the selected cruiser and got in. I backed up and dove out of the garage.


	6. Chapter N3: Forced to Adapt

**Chapter Review(s):**

 _Guest/Cactus52:_ Well, true that she 'doesn't find it strange' because she's more of focus on get the job done as soon as possible, like I mentioned that in previous 'Chapter Reviews' post. More secrets will jump out of the bags later on.

And yes, Judy and Nick will be set to meet in next 6 chapters after this one. I have the chapter titles already planned even before I started to work on the chapter summary and stuffs. You will see.

Kass: Without further ado...

* * *

Credit

* Zootopia characters that appeared in this chapter belong to Disney

* Small reference found in this chapter credit to Arrowsight, hope you found the specific easter egg

* * *

I groaned as I slowly regained consciousness. My head still hurt where my ears were attached. But I didn't see the red lightning anymore. However, I could still hear the argument within the room, but that hardly damaged my hearing. I focused on the 'argument' that I had just discovered.

"Ye boy jus' lost his dinner! I must tell ye!" the male zootopian shouted. He was close and made a loud noise.

"Well," the female zootopian whispered proving that she was far away. I could hear a soft clink before she continued, "Whatever he ate yesterday didn't agree with his stomach."

I slowly stirred in… my bed? I slowly opened my eyes and I saw Finnick sitting next to my bed. I was looking at his back at this minute. I groaned as I sat up.

"Told ye he's still alive!" the fennec fox shouted. I winced at the suddenly noise.

I heard the shove turn off and a pair of hind paws lightly shuffle their way into this room. My old bedroom.

"Nicholas… you must be careful. We cannot afford to make your favorite bed a mess," she said as she entered the room.

This female zootopian was my mother. She wasn't getting any older as of late, thanks to her doctor's skill. Finnick hopped off the seat before my mother sat down on it. She reached for my ears and examined them lightly. The sensitivity of my ears was quit high, but I didn't let it bother me. Carrots told me about bunny ears when I teased her. This proved that she was right, demonstrating that I was cut from the same cloth as her.

"Hm, can you hear us loud and clear?" my mother said as she lowered her forepaws onto her lap.

"Yes," I responded. I wiggled my ears and felt something plugged in my ears. That would explain the reduction of sounds at the time I came back to life.

"Alright," she sighed in relief before she concentrated on a point, "But you're not going anywhere with the device in your ears. I am tasking you to get your hearing work in your favor."

I sighed as I felt my stomach growling. That brought my mind to the concern that I had 'lost my dinner' earlier.

"Well, let's get ready for breakfast. I doubt that losing your dinner would do you any better," my mother said as she stood up and left the room.

I sighed again before I pulled the blanket off my lap then jumped onto the floor. I followed my mother to the kitchen. I sat on the chair and waited for the meal to come. I laid my forearms on the table and exhaled softly.

"So, how d' ye d'ing?" Finnick asked.

I shook my head as I responded, "Confused."

"I see… ye confused that yer a rabbit, right?"

"Yeah. How did I end up like this…? I still feel normal, but being a rabbit is just something different."

"Well, at least it didn't kill ye."

"Also, I am sure that Carrots' parents would be happy to have me as Carrots' boyfriend… and perhaps her future husband," I finished the discussion.

My stomach growled again, which reminded me of how hungry I was.

"Oh, and how long was I out?" I turned my head to Finnick.

He leaned on the back support of his chair. He answered, "Two hours. At least yer not as heavy as yer fox self."

"Ok, the meals are ready. Eat up," my mother said as she brought in the meal. On her right forearm were two plates, filled of meats, and on her left was a bowl of salad.

She laid the bowl in front of me while she served the plates to herself and Finnick. I looked over the bowl, which was packed with salad and blueberries. I picked up a fork and started piercing the green leaves. I ate them slowly so I wouldn't have to deal with an upset stomach again. I took a second bite as I shifted my attention to my mother.

"So do you know anything about the… my change of appearance?" I asked after I swallowed my bite.

I took a third bite of leaves along with blueberries as she responded, "I am a doctor, not a scientist. You made a bad impression, Nicholas."

I put the leaves in my mouth and chewed on them, then I nearly smacked my face with my palm. I glanced down at the bowl and discovered that I had practically devoured my meal in this short time.

"Well, after breakfast is done, I must be off to Precinct One," I admitted as I lifted my fourth bite.

My mother swallowed her bite while she shifted her attention to me. She spoke, "I will let you go after you get your hearing back on track."

"Aye, I agree with yer madam. Ye need to focus on that sound and not any sound that suit ye well," Finnick added.

I frowned at Finnick's words, something I couldn't understand well, before I scooped up what was left of the salad in the bowl. I put the fork down in the bowl and my mother took the bowl out of my grasp. She put our plate and bowl away. She came back to me and guided me to the roof.

"Sit down," my mother said once we reached the roof.

I grunted before I sat down on the spot where she pointed. I winced as she removed the ear plugs from my ears allowing the noises to flood my head again.

"Now focus on stabilizing your hearing," she said. I could easily pick her voice out of all the loud noise.

My head started to hurt from the pressure of the noise. That made it even harder for me to concentrate on my goal. I blinked as my eyes teared up. I slowly twisted and pointed my uh… bunny ears, in the way I believed that would help me control my hearing. But it didn't improve anything. I felt a paw on my shoulder and turned my head to Finnick. My mother was not present on the roof at this point.

"Recall that time of how ye found me," he advised.

I blinked as I recalled of how I had managed to find Finnick two hours ago. All I did at that time was focus on the music he had played. The minor sounds vanished, lessening the pain in my head. I started to focus on the major sounds that were necessary to me.

I blinked as I picked up the conversation between my friend and my mother; "…morning he came out as a rabbit?"

"Yes, madam, the first thing I saw him when he asked me to come out. Never know that he came to me yapping."

"And then he 'lost his dinner', as you described once you told him that he's like 'a darn rabbit like that copper girl ye alway' b'ing with'?"

"Yes, but at least he wasn't that hard to drag into da van and drove my way ovah here."

I shook my head and put my focus on interpreting the sound differently. I could focus on at least five different sounds at once. All of them were loud enough that pawsteps were ignored. The first sound was from the large truck that was used to transport the army. The second one was from the grandfather clock downstairs. The third one sounded like a dishwasher - perhaps our meal had filled it up. Fourth was the door slamming in the van. The final one seemed little difficult to figure out - I guess I should take a rabbit class from Carrots, if she would offer one. I exhaled gently as my head was cleared of the pain. I stood up and worked my way back to the door. I walked my way downstairs and rejoined the foxes.

"Even though I didn't ask you for help," I admitted once their attention was on me, "Thank you for bringing me back on my hind paws, you two."

"Glad that we made an effort to do so," my mother responded as she approached me.

We wrapped each other in the hug. She pulled from me and put her paws on my shoulders with her eyes on mine.

"Take care. Be sure to give your partner this meal. Do not question your mother's intuition," she told me.

I raised an eyebrow as I watched her reach for meal basket. She passed it to me. I figured out that this was what the fifth noise was - she was making a meal for my partner, how slow I am. I decided to take her advice because I knew that one from the mother would worth the trouble.

"Sure. I will see that it gets to her as soon as I can," I accepted as I walked to the front door.

Finnick gave me a silent but friendly nod before I pushed the door open. My sight faded into white as I let myself out.


	7. Chapter J4: Case in the Dark

**Credit**

* Zootopia characters that appeared in this chapter belong to Disney

* Ditz and 'Dun Ot' characters at end/two-third of this chapter belong to me, serves their purpose for this story

* * *

After I drove for two hours, I was now in Nocturnal District, where it was completely dark. I looked around the ebony street to locate the address that I had memorized from the file. The absence of my partner was starting to bother me and my chief didn't allow me to call on him to check if he was alright. Ah well, to him it's business before pleasure. I didn't want to be on his bad side, as I recalled my first big case when he nearly fired me for disobeying his order.

"Hm," I said. I located the place where the victims were last seen.

I parked the undercover cruiser next to the pole with a pair of green tags that had the address written on them. I turned the engine off and got out of the cruiser. I locked the vehicle then worked my way toward the location where the victims were last seen. I was about to reach for the cPhone, but once I went past the light from the cruiser I didn't need any support from my phone after all as I could see the details in the dark. It was perhaps an ability that predators possessed; Night Sight. I proceeded in the direction the file had described and I ended up at a single lamppost with weak electric power, which made the light flicker from above. For some reason, I started to take shallow breaths as I approached it.

"Hm," I made the decision of what to do next.

I blinked my eyes, making my focus better, and counted in my head how many times Chief Bogo had stormed the bullpen with his power voice. Nick would usually snark at him for what the chief had failed to acknowledge details, like new recruits, correct files, etc. That calmed my heart as I went down the alley to locate the next clue. I was sure that i needed my partner to keep my focus, but if Chief Bogo wanted me to finish this case, then that ought to be it. I narrowed my eyes as I brought up the basic details of the missing victim case before a small bell in my head dinged. I realized there were always witnesses involved in each case. I turned to my left and jogged toward the next location where I believed a witness would be. I heard something loud at my 2 o'clock so I redirected in that direction and continued jogging toward the noise.

"Is that a cop? Never knew that a fox cop on the force is final in vogue," a wolf claimed. It was when he spotted me approaching him and his pack.

I shook my head, as I found his line a little hilarious. I 'joined' the wolf pack. I looked up to three wolves that were now staring at me.

"Officer Hopps at your service. I am here to collect information about the missing twins case. I would like to know where the witness is, please," I explained. I displayed my I.D. then I pulled a notepad and recording carrot pen from my pockets.

"Well, I'm right here," the grey wolf confirmed. He rested his forepaws on his hips.

I flinched at first before I sighed, "Alright… are you ready to speak with me? I would like to focus on the case while your friends do whatever they like elsewhere."

The brown wolf smacked the grey wolf's shoulder with the backside of his paw. He spoke, "You owe us a movie for this gal."

I frowned as I watched the brown wolf and the black wolf left us for a private discussion. We walked to the porch and sat on the step. We were facing each other so I could get information from him.

"So you have seen the twins who were taken last week, is that right?" I started to interview him.

"Yes," he replied.

"Where were you doing at that time?"

"Was helping my friends out."

"Ok. Why didn't you do something to help them - the twins - out?"

"Good question - it happened so fast that I didn't get a chance to help them. By the time I turned around to sprint, they were already gone."

"I see. How did they go?"

"Well, I should explain that part better - by the time I looked up, they were shoved into a vehicle. Then by the time I turned around, that vehicle had already left the scene."

I nodded then I wrote that part down. I looked up to the witness and asked, "Did you manage to read the license on that vehicle's bumper?"

"Yeah, part of it," he admitted. He looked at the porch and scratched his head. He turned to me and replied, "6T… and UE at the end."

"Ok," I nodded then wrote that down.

I stood up, pocketed the notepad and pen then looked at him.

"Thank you. Were you and your friends the only mammalians at the scene when the twins were taken?" I asked.

"No. There was a sheep that happened to see the scene as well, but he was out of reach as well," he said. He added, "With a pair of good eyes, he's wearing eyeglasses and a yellow shirt. Hard to miss. He's most likely at the building east of where I saw the twins."

"Good to know," I said. I walked away from the porch and brushed the dust off my butt.

I looked up to him and smiled, "Thank you again, I appreciated your cooperation. Take care."

"Likewise, Officer," he replied.

I turned to work my way back to the flickering lamppost. I stopped and peeked over my shoulder and I saw that the witness was surrounded by his friends. The witness shrugged and shook his head. I frowned then I went back to the lamppost. I went east from there. I huffed a little bit, perhaps as a side-effect of my change. I shook my head before lifting my snout to a bunch of sheep that scrolled through the street carefully. I squinted my eyes as I searched through that crowd for the sheep that the first witness described. I could see that he wore eyeglasses, but I didn't see the shirt he mentioned. At least this sheep wasn't a complete nerd mammalian - sticking with the same set of dress everyday, like one of those cartoons my siblings always watched. I sighed then I walked toward the group of sheep.

"Hello, mammalians. You're not in the trouble or anything," I indicated. I could see that they were a little anxious since I was a fox and approached them as if they were in some trouble. I continued, "I only need to speak with the witness that saw the missing twins last week."

The sheep looked at each other before they grabbed and pushed the witness toward me. One of them claimed, "Well, better to have that finished."

I frowned at that sentence. But I couldn't complain as the sheep with the eyeglasses approached me.

"So what should I tell you about the twins?" he inquired.

I got my notepad and pen ready. I started to question him, "So have you see the kitnapper? What does that mammalian looks like?"

"The red… the red fox," the sheep with the eyeglasses replied nervously. His head shook slightly as if he had seen a horrible movie before he met me.

I wrote that down quickly before I turned back to him. I asked, "Anything else? Like what he wore at that time? I know your sight was poor at that time, but I can believe that could you see details when he or she entered the vehicle."

"Hmm…" the second witness considered. He was trying to recall details. He looked up to me and replied, "Sunglasses. At nighttime. Seriously!"

"I believe that," I admitted. I wrote the word on the notepad. I added, "It's most likely that they were used to cover his eye color. So anything else do you recall?"

"Nope. That's it. Can I go?" he said, shaking his head.

"Alright. Take care of yourself," I said, smiling. I put my notepad and pen away again.

The sheep nodded before he returned to his 'group'. I sighed and turned to walk back to my cruiser. So now I started to understand the meaning behind Chief Bogo's words to me before I left - he wanted me to practice on my newfound vixen ability on my own. The Night Sight was very useful when it came to the area like the Nocturnal District. Once I was able to read the bumper license of my cruiser, I looked at my left. There was a pair of foxes on the other side of the road. I frowned as I read their behavior. They seemed more concerned of my cruiser than anything else. I huffed then I looked in both directions for oncoming vehicles. Once the road was clear, I crossed to another side of the road.

"Hello," I introduced myself to the fox duo. That got their attention. I walked to their side and stood by them. I continued, "You both seemed concerned about me being here, am I right?"

"Ah, hello, officer. Yes, that's the reason why we are like that. And the word traveled fast. You're here because of the missing twins that i used to take care months ago," the tall vixen confessed.

"Yeah. That's why I am here. I have already collected information from two previous witnesses. So I am taking that you are also a witness because you're a babysitter?" I said, pointing out her odd job.

"Yes. And now you're here," she admitted then offering, "I would like to sit down while we are talking. Would the casual diner be ok with you?"

I considered that for a minute. I replied, "Yes. The last witness didn't offer to sit down while we discussed it. Hope that diner is near."

"It is," she exclaimed. We all started to walk down the street.

I blinked before I looked at the tall vixen. I started to talk, "Oh, by the way. I am Officer Hopps. What are your names?"

"I am Ditz and my friend here is 'Dun Ot'. Nice to meet you," she replied with a flashy tooth grin.

"Likewise," I said. I felt a smile on my muzzle.

We went to the crossroad and turned to our left. The diner was a block down this road. We arrived at the diner and I looked at the name on the sign, which was "The Diner of the Night". This restaurant was more of cafe than an actual diner, from what Ditz told me. There was outdoor seating in the front, with at least four tables. We moved to a table that sat at the lower right corner - away from the building - and we took seats.

"Would you like to have some water?" the short vixen, who was named 'Dun Ot', inquired.

I nodded as I pulled my notepad and pen out. I snuggled in the seat comfortably. 'Dun Ot' waved the waiter to get cups of water ready.

"So. Let's get on to the questions… Ditz, were you at the scene when the twins got kitnapped?" I started the discussion.

"Yes," she nodded.

"So is that true that it was a red fox with a pair of sunglasses that took the twins?"

"Yes."

"Ok. Did you manage to get the license on the car memorized?"

"Uh… did you get a little bit from other witnesses?"

"Yes - though it was from the first witness. It was 6T and UE at each end of the license. Hope you remember the rest."

I watched Ditz closing her eyes and reviewing her memory. I blinked as the cup of water was placed in front of me before I mouthed a 'thank you' line to the waiter. I took a chance to sip a little bit of water and put the cup back to the table. The tall vixen opened her eyes.

"The middle part must be… MRT8," she answered.

I hesitated a little bit before I wrote the first three letters down. I asked, "Was that a number 8 or?"

"Yes, it's a number," she interrupted.

I nodded in understanding. I put that on my notepad. Then I arranged the license code into this line: 6TMRT8UE. I blinked before I raised my snout to Ditz.

"So I take that you'd pay attention to the details better than the previous witnesses, right?" I inquired.

"It's that they haven't see Cavalier King vehicle like I did?" she replied.

I sipped a little more of water before I shook my head. I spoke, "That foolish canis lupus… What color was that vehicle?"

"Completely black," she answered quickly.

"Alright," I nodded. I picked up my pen and wrote two more details on the notepad. I finalized, "That will be sufficient."

"Good to know. I am glad that I went out of the way to help you," Ditz said, nodding in agreement.

I pocketed my notepad and pen once again then I reached for the cup of water. I drank the remaining of water before i put the cup down.

"Thanks for the cup of water. But I need to get back to the investigation. Can't afford to let life slip away by sitting around idle," I admitted. I stood up and pushed the chair back in its place.

"That's fine," Ditz exclaimed, waving happily. She added, "You've got your information from me. I also worry about them. So I hope you get this covered."

I waved back to her. I worked my way to the gate and left the zone of 'The Diner at the Night' restau- uh, cafe. I sighed as I walked back to the cruiser. Once I turned around the corner, my head, this time, started to hurt from the same side-effect that I discovered earlier, when I had a breathing problem. Well, I should had let the Chief know about to expect conditions like this to show up and take a physical check-up. I blinked to clear my watery eyes, but my bottom eyelids were refilling instantly. I huffed as I leaned to the building, where my shoulder met the brick wall. I could feel the blood boil in my forehead as I started to squint my eyes - that must be my Night Sight starting to retrain my mind… Now I wished that Nick was actually here with me for this reason, so I could learn to control my newfound ability as quickly as possible.


	8. Chapter N4: Rush Hour

**Credit**

* Zootopia characters that appeared in this chapter belong to Disney

* * *

I stepped off the vehicle at the bus stop. I held the food basket that my mother made for Carrots in my right paw. I walked to Precinct One. I continued to keep my hearing from overwhelming me. When I approached the glass doors, one of the cops left the building, giving me a chance to slip inside. I smiled as I walked toward the dispatcher's desk. I could see the cheetah was scratching his head in confusion. Once I was beside his desk, I put the basket down and jumped onto the desk, startling him.

"Hey, Benji. Could you please ring Chief Buffalo Butt to the bullpen?" I inquired, smiling.

"Uh, sure…" Benjamin replied. He reached for the microphone and mumbled into it. Once he finished notifying the chief, he turned to me. He asked, "Nick… is that you?"

I nodded as i turned to sit down on the edge of the desk. I waved my forepaw and replied, "So will he be in the bullpen soon?"

"Yes. And you look different…" he replied. He quickly warned, "well, you better be preparing or 'it'."

I smirked, "Do I need to be cautious around Sir Buffalo Butt? Yes, yes, I do."

I slid off the desk, landed on my hind-paws, and picked up the basket. I walked to the bullpen. The room was empty as I moved to the chair that I shared with Carrots when we were briefed about cases or assistances. I stood beside it and waited. After a minutes wait, I heard hoof-steps from the door in front of the table. I lifted my head to the water buffalo as he entered the room. Once he saw me, he flinched then closed his eyes and shook his head, almost as if he had found the final piece of puzzle. Before he could produce a word, he grabbed the back of my shirt and lifted me into the air. I still held the basket. We left the bullpen and went to his office through the hall without saying any words. Once we entered his office, he put me on the chair that contained a paw-mirror, then he went to his seat.

"Wilde, before we go into this situation, I want to tell you that you're late this morning," Chief Bogo complained once he sat down. He continued, "Also, I can see that you had went through the change as well."

I frowned as I put the basket beside me. I inquired, "What do you mean by 'the change'?"

"Well, you're not the first Precinct One cop to come in here wearing another species' clothes this morning," he pointed out.

I blinked as I recounted the details that I had learned. Benjamin seemed confused when I came in. That was long before he acknowledged that I was a bunny. Chief Bogo also showed some concern just before he saw me back in the bullpen. This added up to the idea that Carrots also went through the conversion. It seemed like I was not the only one to have an identity problem. I nodded in understanding.

I replied, "I see. And should I tell you about my condition."

"Yes, please. I asked your partner the same thing earlier, but she seemed alright with her change at that time," the cape buffalo admitted. He asked, "So do you have or have you had any problems with yours?"

"Earlier, it was a loud noise in my ears. But it's been taken care of, thanks to my mother," I confessed.

"That's music to my ears. I sent her to Nocturnal District on the case of 'The Missing Twins' this morning. I wished for her to test her new abilities. But since then, I haven't received any report from her. So it's time for you to get involved," he detailed. He asked, "Please go help her out."

I nodded, "Yessir."

"Then paint yourself blue and get there. You're dismissed," Chief Bogo commanded.

I picked up the basket and hopped down to the floor. I walked out of the office and through the hall back to the bullpen. From there, I worked my way to the male locker room. I put the basket next to my locker then I opened my locker to see my uniform. However, when I pulled it out, it was already torn apart. I frowned as I looked over it. I sighed then I folded the damaged shirt and tucked it under my armpit then I left the locker room. I returned to Chief Bogo's office and showed him the shirt.

"Well, guess you'll need Hopps' old uniform, from when she was still a rabbit. Hold on," he said.

He turned to his drawer and pulled out the back-up uniform along with the accessories; the chest armor and braces for wrists and ankles, then passed them to me. I nodded in understanding. I left the office, leaving my ruined shirt behind, and returned to the locker room. I changed my clothes into Carrots' back-up uniform. It fit me like a glove. I discovered that the chest armor was made for any gender. I donned the braces. I put the black utility belt on and secured it. I closed my locker and took the basket from the platform. I left the locker room and attended the office that Carrots and I shared. I laid the basket by the desk then I climbed up into the chair and looked for the file that she left behind. I recalled that day a month ago Chief Buffalo Butt nearly suffocated Carrots for losing a case file. Thank the ancestor, she survived the crisis and learned her lesson to not lose the case file again. I pulled the drawer and picked up the file with 'The Missing Twins' tag on it out. I laid it on Carrots' desk and opened it. I studied the file for the address and memorized it. I closed the file and put it back in the drawer. I closed the drawer to make it look like as if I had not been here at all. I jumped off the chair and picked up the food basket. I was about to leave the office when Chief Bogo showed up at the doorway.

"Since you're partnered with Hopps, you should take a taxi. Can't afford to call for a towing service to fetch the lost cruiser back after two nights of waiting. I am not the type to let that happen again, not after that day Hopps abandoned her meter maid cart during her first days on the job," he pointed out the reason for his presence.

I nodded, "I acknowledge that. I was planning to take a cab. Thank you for notifying me."

He nodded in understanding, then moved out of the way. I walked out of my office and to the dispatcher's desk. I smiled and waved at Benjamin as I moved past him. He returned the gesture while serving himself another bowl of Lucky Chomps. His expression showed that his confusion about my species change was cleared up now. I walked past the open door and worked my way to the stop pit, where taxi cabs usually were. I stood at the stop sign that was sized for a rabbit or fox and waited. I watched a yellow vehicle approach and stop beside me. I reached for the passenger's door, opened it, and climbed onboard. I shut the door after I sat down.

"To where?" the bunny driver inquired.

I gave the driver the address while I put the basket on the seat beside me. I had to think of something to do once I reached my designation. I scratched my chin as I wondered what Carrots would look like once we met.


	9. Chapter J5: Lucky Rabbit Foot - NOT!

**Credit**

* Zootopia (Judy Hopps) belongs to Disney

* Three bears and a red fox appear in this chapter belong to Scott Cawthon

* * *

I blinked twice then laid my left paw on the wall I was leaning on. I lifted my shoulder off the wall. With the blood throbbing in my forehead, my sense of balance was a little wobbly, but I could manage. After I made a several pawsteps forward, I turned to my left so that I was now looking at my undercover cruiser that was parked on the other side of the road. At this point, I supposed that the traffic had lessened due to the number of zootopians being at work, or in the case of the kits, at the school. I started to walk over the road to my cruiser, but once I was halfway to the cruiser, it vanished from my sight. I halted on a dime and blinked as I tried to figure out why the cruiser was gone. However, the throbbing in my head made it difficulty to think straight.

"Ugh," I sighed, shaking my head.

After I reached the other side of the road, I turned to my right and walked down the street. This street was empty and barely lighted. I grunted and blinked as my head was still stirring with various pains and confusion. The pains were too much that my Night Sight had turned off and I could barely see the details of my surroundings. The pain also made me feel my blood pumping through my forehead. I blinked and looked up to a poster on the building at my left, which displayed one of the popular movies before changing into Nick's foxy smirking mug.

"Mmph," I groaned as I felt my head hammering with pain, which brought my conscious back to reality.

I shook my head to pry the pain out as I continued my way down the street. I approached the alley that appeared at my left then I turned my head to the left. There were three bears at the end of alley, where they played in a band together. I blinked to clear my sight then looked at the bears once again. I could see that the bear on my left was wearing a pair of purple tuxedo and a bunny mask and was carrying a guitar. The bear in the middle was wearing a black tuxedo and a black hat and was carrying a microphone. The bear on my right was wearing a yellow-colored feather dress and a bird mask and was carrying a fake cupcake on the small plate. I could hearing them singing, but I had no idea what they were singing for.

"I must be dreaming," I mumbled, shaking my head and continuing my way down the street.

I blinked as I walked down the street… or was it an alley… I couldn't tell the difference anymore. I really needed to exercise my new abilities as soon as possible. But right now, my primary goal was to get out of the Nocturnal District as soon as possible. With my head hurting and my Night Sight turned off, the surroundings were getting darker. I stretched my right forepaw to my right so I could test if the wall was real or not. It did, indeed, feel real - real enough that it confirmed I was in the alley. I dropped my paw to my side and straightened up. Now my sight was in better condition, which meant I could see that the alley was a straight line. I closed my eyes to relieve my headache while I continued walking down the alley. In my mind, Slick Nick had appeared, which made me smile and realize that I was a vixen instead of a rabbit. I was sure that he would be thrilled to see me as I was right now. It would be better if he had come in today and joined me for today's case that I was investigating right now.

"That would be nice," I was delighted at that thought.

I started to fantasize all the adventures that included Nick during our on-duty. Heck, we could catch a beak and take a vacation together. I felt like I really demanded Nick's compassion for my suffering today. I hoped that Chief Bogo would gain some willpower to allow us to have our week off for our relationship to develop. I almost could foresee the dates with Nick in the future… Ugh, I felt a paw on my shoulder, which interrupted my fantasy and halted me on the dime. I opened my eyes and looked at the individual whom stopped me. I gasped as I saw a red fox dressed in a pirate outfit; brown trousers, a black eyepatch over his right eye, and a grey glove for his left paw. His right paw was replaced with a real hook. He spoke nonsense, talking in some kind of gibberish that I couldn't understand.

"Please stop! I do not have time to deal with this. I need to get back to my cruiser and leave this district as soon as possible," I explained, shoving him out of the way.

I exhaled as I tried to massage my headache away from my head. That didn't work so I shook my head as I started to walk. I worked my head to get my beloved fantasy back. I could squeak at the minute when Nick knelt in front of me and proposed to me. I could just scream a word, 'yes', to him. In the next image of my mind, Nick and I were at the wedding ceremony. We were dressed in our wedding clothes and we were about to get- The fantasy was gone as I felt a rough grip that yanked me back to the same pirate fox. He continued his gibberish nonsense in front of me. I grimaced at him then shoved him behind me and started to run toward th send of the alley. Behind me, I could hearing his… metal hind-paws hit the brick floor. The situation was hardly improved because I still had my headache. I was startled when I saw the brown bear from the 'band' emerge from the shadow in front of me. He ran past me and the sound of metal paws ceased. I slowed my sprint to a stop and I huffed and puffed while I looked over my shoulder. The bear spoke to the fox in the gurgling voice. The red fox nodded his head then walked with the brown bear into the shadow on the wall behind me. They completely vanished.

"Hmm," I sighed then turned my attention back to the 'end' that I was running on.

This 'end' turned out to the road, outside the alley I was in. On the other side of the road was the lamppost… the same lamppost with the dim light. The road, once again, was empty so it was safe for me to walk across the street toward the lamp. The light in that lamppost flickered several times, which made a familiar feeling in the back of my head. However, I could figure out the reason why it was familiar.


	10. Chapter N5: Tiny Nick, Huge Road

**Credit**

* Zootopia characters that appeared in this chapter belong to Disney

* Ditz and 'Dun Ot' characters at end/two-third of this chapter belong to me, serving their purpose for this story

* * *

Once I paid the taxi fare, I opened the door, stepped out of the cab with the meal basket hanging on my arm, and shut the door. Then I looked around the city at night. I was in the section of Nocturnal District where the 'Missing Twins' case occurred. Since I was now a rabbit, a prey type, my sight was reduced to just five paws in front of me. That's a down side to being prey, to be honest. I heard the taxi leave, then I looked at my right where my partner parked the rented cruiser next to a lamppost that had a pair of green tags. That pair of green tags glowed in the dark, pinpointing the rented cruiser. However, the street lamp was turned off. I had known the type of car, but I had to confirm this was the one by checking the license plate. So I went to the cruiser and checked it out, where I confirmed that it was the cruiser my partner had taken. A quick glance was all I needed to memorize which vehicle Carrots had taken. I confirmed this was the license number because I had looked at the notification board behind Benji when I jumped onto his desk. A quick glance was all I needed to memorize which vehicle Carrots had taken. And so far, she was the only cop in Precinct One who asked for the borrowed vehicle.

"Hmm," I considered for a minute, turning to the park. My rabbit ears picked up the sound of a chat between at least 3 wolves.

I mentally cursed at myself for being unable to see well. I focused on using my ears toward that noise and moved my way toward it. Once I 'entered' the wolves den, I had to prepare for the worst.

"Hey, fellas… My name is Wilde, Nicholas Wilde - one of Precinct One officers. I am working on the 'Missing Twins' case," I said, flashing my police I.D., "I am here to rejoin my partner that my boss sent in earlier. Have you see… uh, a gray vixen dressed in a cop uniform?"

I could feeling their eyes turning to me - three pairs of eyes, specifically. I heard them mumbling to each other; 'Is that be the vixen's partner?' and 'I can't believe that it's a rabbit cop comin' in here on his own.'. I heard slaps on two separate bodies and all eyes were back to me.

"Yes, Officer… Wilde, if that's your name. I would bet that you're talking about Officer Hopps, who came here hours ago," the wolf answered. He was the one that I could detect in middle of the 'chatroom'.

"Yes. Well, I would be very appreciative if you guys point me to her destination so I can be on my way," I said, grinning.

Two of the three pairs of eyes left my presence, then the same wolf answered, "Sure, sir. I was the one who gave her directions. Just go east from here and if you see sheep - check to see if one of them has a pair of eyeglasses. That is where she went after she talked to us."

"I see. Thank you for your time. I am taking my leave," I responded, turning to walk toward the next destination. It's good thing that I had the entire map of Zootopia implanted in my head.

"Um… Officer Wilde?" he called out, which stopped me on a dime. I tilted my head a little bit as he continued, "By the way… is Officer Hopps single?"

I turned around, put on my sly smile, "Well. I am sorry to tell you this - I can't answer that question. It was really rude to ask her partner if she's single."

"Ack, sorry about it-" the wolf tried to apologize, but I cut him off.

I shook my head, "Thus that's a lesson to you, a mammalian of Nocturnal. Now I must take my leave."

I turned back to the lamppost and continued to it. I set my course toward the east, walking until I ran into the flock of sheep. Though I had a poor sight, I could see two lights from a passing vehicle flashing at my direction. That allowed me to pinpoint the specific sheep that the wolf described.

I raised my left paw and spoke, "Hey there. My name's Wilde, Nicholas Wilde - one of the Precinct One officers. I am working on the 'Missing Twins' case. I would like to you a question."

"Ack! You're the second cop in same day!"

"And a rabbit this time around!"

"Also, they both travel solo!"

"Well," I interrupted their 'nerd talking', "I travel with a partner. My partner is the vixen you met and talked with earlier."

"Oh good."

"Glad that she partnered with a prey, rather than a predator… the monstrously dangerous one."

"One of our wishes came true."

I forced a fake smile, wanting to chuckle at their responses. But I couldn't as I rearranged my mind, "You… the one wearing eyeglasses… will you please direct me to her so I can pick her up and finish the case?"

"Ah yes… she went in that way," 'the-sheep-who-wears-the-glasses' zootopian said, pointing. He pointed at the sky as he recalled something else, "Ah, one thing coming to my mind, one mammal that we passed told us that she met up with two girls along the way and they stopped at 'The Diner of the Night'. I reckon that's where they were last time I was informed."

I nodded as I listened to his reply, making an attempt to picture the location of 'The Diner of the Night' cafe in my mind. Once I got it set up, I proceeded to speak, "I see. Thank you so much for your cooperation."

"You're welcome," he responded.

I waved the flock of sheep a farewell, turned to the direction of the 'The Diner of the Night' cafe was and worked my way there. I blinked as I saw the familiar cruiser bumper, along with the green stickers that glowed in the dark on the lamppost. That made me realize that i had returned to the same spot a second time. I checked the map in my head with my left paw on my chin. The cafe was around the corner on the other side of the road from where I was now standing. I perked my rabbit ears to listen for oncoming vehicles, but I heard nothing. I nodded, then I walked across the road onto the street on other side of the road. I turned to my right and worked my way toward the corner and turned to my left once at the corner. There was little light coming from the building, less than from the lamppost. I was glad to see some coming from 'The Diner of the Night' cafe. The area in front of the cafe was viewable by prey. I could see four tables within the cafe, and one of them was occupied by two vixens chatting with each other.

"…am thinking about it. That officer seemed a little out of it…" one of the females at that table spoke.

The another female said, "…Yeah. She seemed to be under pressure. Enough to be in bed, but she held it all in like a boss."

"Eh," I blinked, trying to grasp what they were talking about.

I worked my way to their table and joined the vixens. I introduced myself to them, "Hello, ladies. My name is Wilde, Nicholas Wilde. I am an officer and I am here for the 'Missing Twins' case that Officer Hopps covered."

"Hello, my name is Ditz," the tall vixen said, gesturing at her friend as she introduced her, "And my friend's name is 'Dun Ot'."

I hopped onto the unoccupied chair and nodded at 'Dun Ot'. I could see that they had a… nah, that would spoil the mood. I blinked then glared at Ditz as I made up my mind.

"Is the reason Carrots came to you is because… you're somehow related to the case?" I questioned.

"Yes," Ditz answered, put her cup down, "I am the missing twins' babysitter."

"I see-ugghhh…" I said, sticking my tongue out as I felt my throat become dry. I had talked so much since I arrived in this district and I still hadn't got used to my rabbit appearance yet.

"Ah," Ditz startled, noticing my thirst and turning to the waiter, "Please get a cup of water for the officer."

"Right away," the waiter said with his hind paws pacing toward the building.

I blinked, having to battle my thirst, but it was in vain. The waiter returned and gave me a cup of water. I mouthed a line 'thank you' to him as I reached for the cup and brought it to my mouth. I drank half of it to sating my dry throat.

"So… why do you referring Officer Hopps as 'Carrots'?" Ditz questioned as I put the cup down to the table.

I smiled lightly, "It's the nickname I gave her long before we became partners. She used to hate it back then, but by the time I became a cop, she grew used to it."

I noticed that 'Dun Ot' had her eyes on me since I got on the chair. I realized that i could feel fear, which was what the prey truly experienced when being examined by predators. But I held it in.

"Um… could I… check you out… in an appropriate way?" 'Dun Ot' asked, feeling my eyes on her.

I froze for a few seconds. I snapped out of it, then responded, "Sure…? Just as long as you're careful."

The short vixen stood up, approaching me from her chair. She had dark brown fur on her head and she wore a set of punk clothes. That easily helped her blend into the darkness. Her hair was dyed purple. As she moved toward me, I could see her brown eyes shining, reflecting the light that reflected from the table. I blinked as she moved to my left, straddling the chair that I occupied.

"That's pretty funny for a rabbit to call a vixen a vegetable," Ditz said, chuckling at the idea of my partner's nickname.

I shook my head, answering, "It's because of the pen she used to record me one day. But that's not the main issue right now."

Once I stopped shaking my head, my ears were fondled lightly by 'Dun Ot'. A shiver went through my spine with each caress she made.

"Hmm. I am not sure of how long she has been a fox, but…" I started the discussion, trying to resist the fear inside me, "How hard was it for Carrots to deal with her being a fox?"

The tall vixen tilted her head to her left to her right. She answered, "Not hard on her. It's fairly easy for her to get a handle on her canine abilities."

"I see, she's not that irrelevant about how they work," I said, feeling the chill coming up my spine. Again, it was the result of my sensitive ears.

Fortunately for me, the touch on my ears was gone, easing my nerves, and I felt her arms wrapping around my frame. I blinked as I was pulled onto her front as 'Dun Ot' embraced me gently.

"Yeah, you have a great partner with a good head on her shoulders. She held up well, but it's her stamina that is the problem," Ditz explained, smiling as she reached for her cup of water.

I spread my ears as I felt the short vixen's muzzle come in between my ears and rest on top of my head. I realized that I was not the only one having problems with the instant change of appearance, and it seemed like I have to help Judy grasp her 'vixen' abilities… as soon as possible.


	11. Chapter J6: Fission Mailed?

**Credit**

* Zootopia (mainly Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde) belong to Disney  
* Yuri Grayfur and Nala Goldmuzz are the creation characters of mine, meanwhile the name "Nala" is belong to Disney, based on the character and appearance  
* Mario Bros reference in here belong to Nintendo

* * *

I groaned as I dropped onto my knees then grunted when my knee pads thumped on the concrete and my head swung down slightly. I huffed as I lifted my paws in front of my face and I studied my paws pads with a little bit of my night sight. Memory rushed back into my head, I now recalled the familiar place I was in. I closed my eyes as I replayed my memory of the case… that case, where I lost the related file and almost lost my life to Chief Bogo's strangling hooves. The memory was blurred at first, but slowly became clear. I was driving in the cop cruiser with my fox partner on our way down to the Nocturnal District. At that time, I was a bunny instead of a vixen.

"Hm," I sighed, recalling that Nick and I had been called to this district for the difficult case involving the mystery murder that wasn't solved by Precinct Five cops.

Precinct Five of the Nocturnal District came into sight, I pressed on the brake pedal to slow the cruiser. I steered into the driveway and parked the cruiser. I shut the engine off. Nick and I took our seat belts off and got out. I arched my eyebrows when I was told that the predator cops in Precinct Five had to turn this case over to me and Nick. I turned my head to my partner, who wore a glow-in-the-dark pin on his uniform that helped me to locate him in dark, overcoming my prey disadvantage.

"So… what's on your mind, Slick?" I asked. His answer; "Nothing much. We will solve this case the same way we solved 'The Missing Mammal' case a long time back."

"Uh-huh, we should use our heads to help Precinct Five with some methods that they can use so they don't have to call us out on each difficult case they fail to wrap up," I added, lifting my left paw to the door instinctively.

He chuckled, "What are we? Precinct Five's new plumbers, or cops of Precinct One?"

"Pfft," I snorted as we scrolled through the hall and arrived at the chief office of Precinct Five.

Nick and I were introduced to the black wolf, Corby Thakrar, the Chief of Precinct Five. We got down to the business immediately, considering the danger to the missing kits.

Corby nodded in agreement as he spoke, "I think so. I am glad that you responded to our call and came here to give us some helping paws. Let me summon the best cops of Precinct Five and then you four get it wrapped up as soon as possible."

Nick and I nodded. I watched the chief talking into a microphone, summoning the specify members to his office. He sat down while Nick and I went to the rhino-sized chair and sat. We all waited for the 'best cops of Precinct Five' to arrive. A few minutes later I heard two sets of pawsteps approach the office. I turned to the door and saw it open. Two large predators walked into the office - one of them was a gray-furred wolf and the other an African lioness. Nick and I got off the chair. We all exchanged greetings.

Since I was focused on the lioness, I didn't hear what the gray-furred wolf said. The African lioness crouched in front of me so her head was at the same level as mine and greeted, "My name is Nala Goldmuzz."

"I am Judy Hopps - Officer Hopps while on duty," I greeted.

She switched places with her partner and he introduced himself to me. I lifted my right paw to him and he spoke, "Hello, I am Yuri Grayfur."

My memory halted as we exchanged a paw-shake. The memory faded back to the present as I opened my eyes and glanced at my paws pads. I blinked as I recalled the wolf that smelled the air in the bus this morning. I had failed to recognizing him - that wolf was Yuri Grayfur. His smile was familiar, yet I didn't return the smile. But at least he understood how hard my morning had proceeded because of my changed appearance and… some kind of memory loss. I blinked again, wondering why Yuri was in the heart of Zootopia instead of being in the Nocturnal District. I closed my eyes and the memory resumed from the point we were in the interview room. Nick and I shared the chair at one side of the interview room while Yuri and Nala sat on their chairs on other side. The table was set in between of us and the Precinct Five cops.

"To make the job easier - you have to be sure to cover each corner in the investigation scene, even the mouse hole in the wall or under the fallen paper," I advised.

Nick spoke beside me, "She's right. If you absolutely want to close that case, you have to go that far to catch the culprit."

"Hmm… that make sense. Let's put that advice to use at the investigation scene… should we go there now?" Nala said, looking at Yuri.

He nodded, "Indeed, let's get to the cruiser - I will drive."

We left the interview room. We went to the garage and got in the cruiser that Yuri selected. Yuri and Nala sat in the front seats while Nick and I took the backseats. With seat belts clicked in, Yuri drove us out of the garage and to the designated street. We came to stop next to the lamppost with its light off. I could see the lamppost thanks to the light coming from the cruiser. We left the cruiser then Nick and I followed Yuri and Nala through the alley. I had to pull out a rabbit-sized flashlight and use it on low power so I could see Precinct Five cops in the dark without bothering their night vision. Upon arriving at the investigation scene, Nala turned to us and threw her arms in the air, introducing Nick and I to the scene where there was a lamppost in the middle with its light flickering on and off.

"Here we are. This place was once a crime scene where a killing occurred. We will be sure to put your advice to good uses," she said, walking to a spot she hadn't covered previously.

The males went to their own corners, leaving me to choose between the center or bottom right corner. I decided to go to the center of the investigation scene. I exhaled lightly as I stepped forth then knelt in front of the lamppost. I shone my flashlight at the ground in front of lamppost. Instantly, I found the clue that the Precinct Five cops had missed - dried up blood on the base of the lamppost. The lamppost was maroon, which made the blood blend into it. I nodded in understanding of my discovery as I put the flashlight down on the floor then I grabbed a pair of fox-sized gloves. I estimated that the blood was been here for a week or two, determining on its thick.

"Slick… get an evidence bag prepared," I said solemnly, keeping my eyes on the evidence.

"One evidence bag coming up, boss," my partner said.

I heard his pawsteps approaching me then I reached for the dried blood and peeled it off the lamppost. I took the evidence bag from Nick instinctively when he was next to me then I dropped the blood in the bag. I picked up the flashlight and pointed it at Nick. He blinked, trying to preserve his night sight. He realized that I was already, like, fifteen paws ahead of him when it came to finding evidence.

"You sure keep being the best cop in Zootopia, Fluff," he chuckled as I closed the evidence bag and gave it to him.

I nodded, "You might be right. So, let's get back to work and see if there is any more evidence that they missed."

"Hey, perhaps we should change jobs and get our names into 'Maria Sisters'. To fit the name in, we could trade our uniforms for plumber's over-" he ranted on.

I interrupted, "No. Now get back to work before I use the pipe on you."

I turned to the lower right corner, which was to the left of the exit back to the alley. I walked there then I started my search. Five minutes later, we cleared out the investigation scene - so far, I was the only one who found a missing clue. Nala shook her head with her fists on her hips.

"I can't believe that I was beaten by a prey," she mused, referring to my discovery.

I shrugged, "Yeah. It is one of my drives to become the best cop. That's why I encouraged you to look at each spot in the investigation scene. So back to Precinct Five we go?"

"Yep. Let's," Yuri agreed.

We turned to the alley and walked back to Yuri's cruiser. We got in, putting on the seat belts, and Yuri drove us back to Precinct Five. Once we arrived at the Precinct Five garage, Yuri shut the engine off. We left the cruiser and went back inside the building. I glanced at Nick as he pawed the evidence bag to Yuri. The wolf took it and went to get the blood test prepared. My weight suddenly became lighter as the huge predator lifted me by my waist. The next minute, I was happily nuzzled by Nala.

"Geez, thank you," I mused.

I could hear Nick bark with laughter from below. My memory went dark and faded back to the present as I opened my eyes and glanced at my paws pads once again. I was still tired and still had breathing trouble. Now with a slice of my memory returned to me, I knew that I had through through the same places I had in the previous case. The one where I accidentally lost the file, but I wasn't sure that the entire memory had returned to me.

"Ah," I sighed, ready to face the music.

At the same time, I was about to let myself go, I felt a warm paw on my left shoulder. That snapped my mind back to 'cop duty mode'. The paw on my shoulder made me recall someone who I was familiar with…


	12. Chapter N6: Shoot Outta the Cannon

**Credit**

* Zootopia characters that appeared in this chapter belong to Disney

* Ditz, 'Dun Ot', Yuri Grayfur, and Nala Goldmuzz characters belong to me, serving their purpose for this story

* * *

I blinked and snapped my attention to Ditz when she waved her right paw up and down, "Well, you gonna go and find her. It sounds like she need you."

Her words echoed in my head, I nodded in understanding. I attempted to jump off 'Dun Ot', but she restrained me from leaving her seat. The weight of her snout lifted from the top of my head, feeling the cool on where she rested. A second later, I felt her wet nose pressing on my left cheek. Wet peck. Once her nose left my cheek, her arms loosened and withdrew from my abdomen. That allowed me to hop off her with ease. I turned to her and she pawed me the basket that I had dropped early. I gave her a thank-you nod.

"Ah, and, please let your brother know that he is needed at the location of the crime scene in the Nocturnal Distract four months ago," I spoke, encouraging 'Dun Ot' to get the back-up ready.

She nodded as she pulled her cPhone out and turned it on. I backpedaled while still on the street as I turned my attention to the table. I waved at the vixens.

"Thanks for the chitchat, and see you later," I called out, exiting the cafe.

I turned to my left as I left the light range and put my ears forth. I was sure that my partner had gone this way as I worked my way toward the corner. I furrowed my eyebrows as I remembered the time Officer Grayfur had taken me, Officer Fluffy, and Officer Goldmuzz back to Precinct Five to wrap up more details on the evidence we had taken from the crime scene. Carrots once told me how she was able to detect the sound o the meter maid alarm by using her ears - I put that lesson in use at this minute. With the sound echoing all over the dark city and my mental map was set up that synchronized with my hearing, I immediately brought the flashback to mind. That was the time I was sitting in the back of the cop cruiser with Carrots. At that time, I was a fox and Carrots was a rabbit. Yuri drove the cruiser while Nala sat in the passenger seat. The cruiser slowed down then stopped when we arrived at the garage of Precinct Five. Yuri shut the engine off once we stopped. We all clicked our seat belts off and got out of the cruiser. After we walked into the building, I felt Carrots' eyes on me when I passed the evidence bag to Yuri. He took it and went to prepare the toolkit. I blinked as I turned to my partner and saw her being lifted by Nala. My nose followed Carrots' appearance and I watched the lioness nuzzling the rabbit lightly.

"Geez, thank you," the rabbit cop mused.

I felt the air surge through my chest to my throat, my cheeks puffed up, and I started a bark of laughter. I bent over and pressed my paw pads on my knees as I continued to laugh. I heard the rabbit's hind-paws thumping on the floor next to me as I wheezed. The sound of my laughter dried up a little bit.

"Hey, what are you doing here? Go help Grayfur with the forensic lab," the chief of Precinct Five called out from the hall.

I turned my attention to Carrots and she gestured at Nala while she responded, "Officer Goldmuzz, may you please lead us to the forensic lab and we can see what we do from that point on."

"Certainly, Officer Hopps. Follow me, you two," the lioness said, starting walking to the lab.

I nodded to Carrots with a knowing smile. We followed Nala to the forensic lab. We arrived at the lab and met Yuri who turned to us. The grey wolf questioned our presence.

I answered, "Your chief didn't want you to steal all the spotlights so he sent us to kitsit you."

"Ha, Chief Thakrar sure cares about good ole' me. And I am glad that he sent you all to me, otherwise I'd sit here, doing all the work myself," Yuri replied.

I shrugged at same time Carrots answered, "Yeah, the important part of doing the lab is teamwork. I hope that you two know the basics. If not, I will cover up the grungy works while Nick explains."

I smiled as I looked at the taller mammals, who shook their heads. I exhaled lightly and got started with the explanation. Carrots turned to the chair and got on it.

"Alright. Listen up, students," I began with my paws in the air. Carrots put on lab gloves and proceeded with the sample as I continued, "You take a little bit of the sample from the evidence and put it under the micro... whatever that item is."

"Uh... it's the microscope," Nala pointed out. I nodded with a smile and pointed at her with my open-palm paw, "Yes - that's it."

I inhaled then I continued, "Then you used the culprit references to find a match within the blood, or evidence, that was left behind. Alternatively, if you can't find the exact match, you can enter it to the machine and let it run a test to make a better match."

"Ah, I see..." the lioness nodded, scratching her chin as she left us, the males, behind.

I watched Nala joining Carrots at the microscope as the latter gave the former the details of how to use it. I turned my attention to Yuri as he crouched beside me.

"I didn't think that you two could pull it off, despite you being a predator and her being a prey," he admitted.

I nodded in agreement, "It was Officer Hopps that put her job above her life. She didn't give up even with me annoying her. She came back on the next day, smacking the fur out of me with the file of my... um, little problem that I failed to cover up. She becomes a successfully bunny cop with me being the first fox cop on the force."

"Hmm," Yuri nodded, stroking his chin with his left paw, "I noticed that Officer Hopps is doing more work while you here just lay back. I find that little... offensive to the team."

I closed my eyes and shook my head, "Hopps and I have our own ways, and we were okay with how it works. I simply use my head and phone to solve the problems where she uses her excellent physical strength to pull up heavy loads."

"I see. That would explain how far you both went, including that biggest case in the century. The legend was wrong, the small guy packs a big punch is true after all," the grey wolf nodded.

I opened my eyes slightly and smiled, "Yeah. And I heard that the quote you made is similar to the quote; 'a small leak will sink a great ship'."

Yuri nodded, continuing stroking his chin with two of his digits, "Well, I have a sister that looked out for the red fox..."

I felt my eyes stinging and I blinked, reverting my sight back to the dark. My eyes were getting dry for not blinking for a little bit. I must be at the parking lot, just a bit away from the alley that Carrots and I went through during that case. Right now, I was pacing around the parking lot. Once the widespread noise around me decreased, I knew I had entered the alley. I was able to focus on memory from before. At that point, I started shaking my head.

"Well," I answered Yuri's unspoken question, "I am unavailable at this minute. I am busy with my duty right now."

The Precinct Five cop nodded in understanding, disappointed in failing to accomplish his goal. We turned our heads to our female partners as they walked to us with their paws empty.

"We are leaving the difficult analysis to the team and we wait. So is everything alright?" Carrots said, asking me after she noticed our 'guy talk'.

I blinked, and the memory vanished from my mind, returning my consciousness to reality as I exited from the other side of the alley. The new area granted me a small space that allowed the larger prey to socialize. It was the same lamppost where Carrots found the clue. The light of that lamppost blinked on and off rapidly, giving me enough light to see the ground surrounding. And there she was - a grey vixen knelt in front of the lamppost. She wore a blue jumpsuit with chest armor and police belt, definitely confirming her as Judy Hopps as Chief Bogo had indirectly informed me. All I could see was the left side of her back as her body slightly rocked back and forth in her huffing and panting. The food basket dangled on my left forearm as I took few steps to the lamppost. She was looking at her paw pads... the metacarpal paws, to be exact. With the sound of her breathing, my chief was right about her not reporting to him for a while. In addition, I put much effort to manage my listening skill to block out the loudness, it proved the same with Carrots... for she put much effort to deal with her vixen skills she hadn't learned before. I jogged to her as her pointy ears folded down onto back of her head. I leaned my right paw onto her shoulder, which stopped her from 'let it go'. I felt and heard her inhale air strongly then I watched her head turn to me, revealing her amethyst eyes. I almost saw the stars twilight in her eyes.


	13. Chapter J7: One Step Closer to the Truth

**Credit**

* Zootopia characters that appeared in this chapter belong to Disney

* Ditz, 'Dun Ot', Yuri Grayfur, and Nala Goldmuzz characters belong to me, serving their purpose for this story

* * *

"Hmm," I purred softly.

My eyes were closed as I whiffed Nick's scent, my nose resting under his bottom jaw. His scent soothed the stress in my system. I shifted my weight to my left to let him breathe easier. I felt the energy restoring in my body as I rubbed my bottom jaw on my partner's chest, and the mental stress faded from my head. Just a minute ago when I turned my head to him and saw his signature eyes and colored fur. He immediately dropped the food basket on the concrete, moved to my left a little bit and stuck his arms out, readying for my tackle. This was the signal for me to hug him without injuring him or scaring him out of his fur. I turned my body to him and lunged onto him. However, with me being a vixen and him a rabbit, I easily shoved him onto the concrete. Now with me cuddling on him, that helped me lessen the stress and tiredness. Adrenaline rushed through my body as I nuzzled on the chest armor that he wore. I let out a gentle sigh through my nose, loosening my grip on him then lifted my muzzle from him. I opened my eyes to look at his discomforted face in the flickering light. I was sure that he forgot about me being bigger and heavier than he was at this minute. I moved my right paw to his muzzle and caressed his short fur. He winced in discomfort. Oops, I forgot that I had a set of canine claws right now. I put my nose under his chin and whiffed scent rom there, refreshing the familiar in my head. This red-furred rabbit was, indeed, Nick Wilde, and he was my current partner in Precinct One.

"You are Nick Wilde. My slick partner. The one and only Wilde that I know and love," I sighed again, starting to get off him.

I shifted my weight from him onto my left arm and my knees then I pushed myself into sitting position, on my knees. Once my weight rested on my forelegs under my thighs, I looked at him as he rose up using his elbows, then shifted his weight onto his paws that he propped behind him. He glanced at me for a split second, then gestured with his left paw at the basket that he had dropped. I pointed my left index digit at my collarbone then he nodded. I blinked then turned my head to the basket. I reached for the lid and lifted it to see a vacuum flask under the lid while there were a few bags of sandwiches below the opened lid. I took one of them then closed the lid. I opened the bag then pulled the sandwich out of it. I could smell the meat in the bread. I put the bag onto the concrete in front of me under my right knee to prevent it from blowing away. I started to eat the sandwich, waiting for the terrible taste to come. But it did not. That's because I still had the mind of a rabbit, making me forget that I was now a vixen. The meal I was chewing right now tasted normal to me, making me close my eyelids halfway. I swallowed the bite then took a second bite. While chewing the next bite, I turned my attention back to my partner, who was now sitting in the same position I was. The light from the lamppost behind me kept strobing the light around me. I could see Nick taming himself with his controlling breath. I blinked as I swallowed the bite then I started a conversation.

"Any news from Chief Bogo?" I inquired.

He opened his eyes slowly then blinked twice, "Well, the only thing he knew about us were the change of our species and you're flying solo on this case... until I join in. He also told me that you didn't keep him posted about your condition. And you would have collapsed if I hadn't reached you in time."

I blinked twice, realizing of how much time had passed while I neglected the necessity of nutrients. Was it now lunchtime? Oh, no, no... I had missed breakfast, which explained my hunger. I glanced at the sandwich as I swallowed a bite then took two bites of it and chewed them. I started to think about what Nick was saying. The turning point in my life this morning had blasted the 'All-New_ ' install onto me, which changed my behavior until Nick snapped me out.

My attention returned to Nick, seeing his half-closed eyelids, then I replied, "Well, the reason why I didn't keep Chief Bogo informed is that I had been trying to get used to the change of my appearance and to put my new abilities in use. I didn't realized that time flew while I zoned into that kind of behavior."

"Yes, I understand that as well, Carrots... you're not the only one to have gone through the change. I went the same thing this morning and would have dropped off the planet's face if it wasn't for my mother," my partner said.

I blinked, biting the sandwich, then nodded in agreement as I chewed the next bite. I looked at the half-eaten sandwich in my paws. I blinked again as I swallowed.

"So how did you escape your problem... of being a rabbit?" I inquired, hesitating a little bit in middle of my sentence.

His eyelids lifted the whole way up and he glanced at me in serenity, then he answered, "Just don't take it all in at once. Just remember how I relaxed while I was still a fox."

I blinked as I recalled the day I captured Duke Wesselton... or whatever his name was, during my day on 'Parking Duty'. Chief Bogo had me hauling my tail to his office and after some talk, he slammed his left hoof on the bag filled with Night howlers. At that minute, he came closer to me and his mouth was rectangle, growling at me with three words; 'Let. It. Go.'. I blinked once again and my conscious returned to the present day and I felt my body becoming lighter as I unconsciously chewed on next bite of the sandwich. I had decided to ignore the flickering light since it was norm in the Nocturnal District.

"You perhaps need a drink," Nick said, pawing me the vacuum flask.

I glanced at him, wondering of how he pulled that trick even if he's a rabbit, then moved my left paw from the sandwich to the flask and grabbed it. I nodded with two words, "Thank you."

He let the flask go, which made me firm my hold on it. I was impressed that he kept his strength because this flask was a little heavy in my grip. I brought the flask closer to me then I looked at the sandwich in my right paw. The meal was small enough to put in my mouth whole. I blinked then tossed it into my open mouth. With my right paw unoccupied and my bottom jaw closing upward to my snout, I turned my attention to the flask and put my paw pad on the lid of the flask, then unscrewed it. Once I removed the lid from the flask, I turned my right wrist to hold the lid upside-down, to serve as a cup, then I turned my left wrist, clockwise, to pour the liquid into the lid. I whiffed the scent from the pouring liquid, finding that it was green leaf tea. I swallowed the last bite of the sandwich while I filled the lid-cup up. When the cup was three-fourth full, I turned my left wrist, counterclockwise, to stop pouring and set the flask down on the concrete. I had to rest some more so I could move with what was left of my energy. Therefore, I rested my left arm on my lap with my paw still gripping the flask. I brought the cup to the front of my snout then closed my eyes once the cup met my mouth. I drank the cup of tea slowly to savor the comforting taste of the tea. Once I emptied the cup, I lowered it from my muzzle and opened my eyes slightly, feeling relaxed.

"Thank you for bringing the meal and updates," I said, lifting the flask from the concrete then screwing the lid back in.

He nodded in acknowledgment as I hooked the lid of food basket with my right opposite digit, opened it, then put the vacuum flask in. I moved my left paw to my right knee to get the sandwich bag and put it in as well. With the nutrients stored in my system, I slowly got on my hind-paws. While I stood, Nick grabbed the handle of the food basket and got on his hind-paws too. With the focus of my mind improving thanks to Nick's presence and with me taking a break from using my abilities, I glanced at him and his rabbit appearance. I furrowed my eyebrows as a new question came to my mind. I found this situation interesting - Nick, at this minute, was a rabbit mammalian and we were in Nocturnal District. That would be a problem or two for a rabbit to get around in the city. Yet, Nick managed to find me despite his disadvantage.

"How did you find me even if you have an enormous disadvantage in the Nocturnal District?" I asked, wanting to get the answer for my curiosity.

His green eyes shifted to my face as he replied, "I know the whole city like back of my paw and I remembered how well your rabbit ears worked so I put them in use to find you, along with some clues and a guide."

I looked back on my recently travel and realized that he was talking about the path I walked was the one he used to locate me. That would mean he had already made an attempt to get 'Dun Ot' to call some-

"Carrots, please take it easy. I already got 'Dun Ot' to call her brother and bring in the back-up, about fifteen minutes ago," Nick said, catching on what I was thinking.

I nodded in agreement as I was glad that we read each other and knew how to respond without uttering any words. This was a positive advantage between predator and prey. I slipped my paw into the pocket I left my notepad in and pulled it out. I brought the notepad to front of my snout then I flipped a couple page over, leaving them hanging. Despite the flickering light, I could read the details on the notepad as clear as ones could see through a clean glass.

"Well, the culprit that kitnapped the twins is a canine... well, to be specific, he's a red fox with sunglasses on, according to what the sheep witness told me. While Ditz, who is a friend of 'Dun Ot', pointed out the black vehicle - Cavalier King - and its license numbers as following; 6TMRT8UE," I briefed the details to my partner. I shifted my attention to him, "Did you get anything on this kitnapper?"

He rotated his left shoulder, trying to shift the weight of the food basket on his left forearm. He furrowed his eyebrows, looking at a spot to my right. He nodded, "Yeah, I know who that mammalian is. Hey, wait..."

I blinked as he turned his glance onto me then he continued, "Are you still feeling exhausted?"

"Hmm... yeah, I got a little bit of adrenaline rush once you came to my range and I gained a small amount of nutrition from the late breakfast that you brought. But that's not enough to let me see in the dark, let alone do a slow walk," I answered.

His focus dragged back to where he was looking earlier, he nodded with a serious gaze, "Then please let me think... aha."

I blinked again, feeling his eyes on me again as he finished his sentence, "May I guide you back to the rented cruiser?"

"Please do," I said, flipping the notepad shut in my right paw then stretching my left paw to him.

He reached for my stretching paw then grabbed it with his right paw then started to walk toward the alley. I blinked as my body automatically walked with him at a slow pace. The darkness swallowed us in as we proceeded into the alley, away from the flickering light. At this minute, I decided to be quiet, not disturbing Nick at all. There were two reasons I made that decision - the first one was that he remembered how sensitive rabbit ears were and he needed them to proceed through the darkness and the second one was that I trusted him with my life in the past, therefore I continued to trust him even nowadays. I squeezed his paw gentle. I felt his opposite digit stroking the back of my left paw, which was his response to my squeezing his paw. That made me smile warmly. Somehow, when we got out of alley, my left arm pulled to the right, which I could confirm that this was where I entered after I saw that band of... somewhere. We continued walking down the street. Along the way, I saw the low powered light, the only one since I left the alley. At some point, my left arm pulled to the left and my hind-paws were on the soft grass and the slightly damped soil. That was the Parking Lot, where I passed a while ago and had met and talked with the grey wolf. A couple minutes later, we were back on the street made out of concrete. I could see the green glow-in-the-dark tags, which pinpointed where I parked my rented cruiser. I squeezed my partner's paw and allowed him to continue his guide across the road. Ah, I had forgotten that the street was at least two paws higher than the road.

"Ah," I spoke, trying to regain my balance. Nick squeezed my paw alertly and I responded, "Missed a step. Sorry. Carry on, please."

I blinked to keep from letting the tears rolling down my muzzle as i felt his paw relax on mine. Now... one question came to my mind, what about the oncoming traffic? That was thrown out of the window because Nick had a pair of rabbit ears. He would know if there were any vehicle coming and keep us from crossing at first. I felt a jerk on my wrist, telling me to lift my hind-paw as I took a step. We were back on the street once again, now beside the rented cruiser. We stopped right after I climbed back onto the street and I realized that Nick had fulfilled his objective by guiding me back to the rented cruiser. We let each other's paw go and I glomped to my right, searching for the rented cruiser. I closed my eyes and groaned as I remembered that it would be easier if I just the cruiser, ergo I reached for the key in my pocket and pulled it out. I felt the key for the unlocking button then pushed on it, making the rented cruiser unlock and lighting up the low power lights. I blinked and sighed in relieve then I walked to the back door on the right side of the cruiser with Nick following me. I thanked my chief for letting me rent the Nocturnal model cruiser in my mind as I pulled the door handle and opened it. I turned to my partner as he pawed me the food basket. I put the basket on the back seat then we backed up and I shut the door, which turned off the low power light. Fortunately for me, another low power light started to appear in front of my rented cruiser, signaling me about an approaching cruiser. I twisted my ears to that direction and heard the low-humming engine. That meant someone from Precinct Five sent us a back-up cruiser with a healthy driver. The active cruiser stopped on the side of the road, facing my cruiser. My partner and I jogged to the driver's door of that cruiser as the window rolled down, revealing a lioness with indoor low power light on. Once Nick and I were standing next to that door, I turned to him, grabbing his midsection and lifting him onto my shoulders.

"Give her this notepad," I said, laying my back on the door and holding the notepad to him.

The notepad slipped out of my grip. A few seconds later, I felt his heel tapping on my shoulder, which signaled me that he had pawed it to her. So, I took him off my shoulders and put him back on the street quickly. I had to keep my energy in check, even though I was relaxed and loosened up. With the light blanketing over Nick's face, I felt his paws on my arms and his green eyes on my face. I could tell that he was concerned about my well-being.

"Hmm, got it. Belt up, you two. We are going to Precinct Five posthaste," Officer Goldmuzz said.

I felt the window roll up then Nick slipped out of my grip to open the back door. I lifted myself from the driver's door. I slightly turned to my left and he turned his head to me.

Nick urged, "C'mon, let's not keep Officer Goldmuzz waiting."

I nodded then jogged around the open door and got in after him. While I climbed up onto the left seat cushion, Nick shifted from his 'crawling' position into a sitting position on the right seat cushion. With my butt thumping on the cushion, I turned my attention to the door, reaching for it and pulling it shut. The light turned off once the door thumped in the place so I glomped on the spot beside me on my left for the small canine-sized seat belt. Once I grabbed the belt, I pulled it over my body to my right side. Pulling the belt halfway cross my body, the cruiser suddenly accelerated and made a couple of sharp turns. Once the tingles lessened, I clicked the belt in then exhaled lightly. I lifted my right paw to where my partner was.

"Slick... be sure to wake me up when we arrive at Precinct Five," I uttered, feeling a paw on mine.

His answer was; "Sure, take it easy."

Satisfied with my compromise, I dropped my arms, slipping out of Nick's grip, then I relaxed on the seat cushions and closed my eyes. Now the question came into my mind, Officer Goldmuzz, who we recognized her as Nala Goldmuzz, who drove us to Precinct Five... she seemed familiar to me, but I wasn't sure I remembered meeting her before... what I was looking at right now was blurry at first, but it became clear. I was now looking at the lens- no, through the microscope, studying the blue screen inside the eyepiece of the microscope. As I recovered this memory, I couldn't remember what I was exactly looking for. My head pulled from the eyepiece of the microscope... a different topic slowly came back to me. I remembered the time I gave a lesson to Officer Goldmuzz about how to use the microscope. She, along with Yuri Grayfur, hadn't know how to use the forensic lab at all. So that blue screen I looked at must be evidence that I found at the crime scene shortly before we returned to Precinct Five that day four months ago. The location where I found the evidence was the lamppost with the flickering light - that was the same flickering light lamppost where I was kneeling just now.

"And there you go, the reading on the sample becomes clear once you turn the knob to the correct measure," I heard my reply from that day replay in my head, telling Nala the important part on the job.

The microscope and the table moved to the right as my head turned to the left to where the amateur officer stood. It was true she was one of the two best cops in Precinct Five due to their active duty, but when put on the scene of an investigation or taking the job in the forensic, their thinking was turned a hundred and eighty degrees when doing those jobs. The lioness, who was a mammalian that I assisted in the forensic lab, looked at me with relaxed gaze. That expression seemed more relaxed than what I saw before I took a 'power nap'. Also, I was as tall as she was at this minute - that meant I was standing on something that gave me extra height to reach the predator-sized table. Oh yes, I was a rabbit at this... ahem, memory of the dream. So now what was I do-

"Then you write down the details of what you find in the sample, Officer Goldmuzz. And that concludes the lesson," my reply from that day continued to replay in my head.

Ah, never mind. I remembered that as clear as crystal - that reply was to give Nala Goldmuzz an idea of how to gain more evidence. After all, the best cops should be at their best, not making a show. Now, I was sure that she went on a different topic while Nick kept Yuri busy.

"Say... I get a question to ask, Officer Hopps," the lioness said as I turned to her.

My nodding head made her appearance suddenly move down then up slightly, then my reply from back echoed in my head, "Sure, what is it?"

Nala leaned closer to me, thumping her left paw on the table beside us and lifting her right paw to her muzzle that blocked her mouth from the males. She glanced at the males, preparing to speak without letting them know about it.

"Is... Yuri the right mammalian for me?" the lioness whispered to me while glancing at me.

The muscles in my face tightened, my eyebrow furrowed, and the edges of my mouth pulled down then the screen with Nala in it suddenly shook to right and left, signaling my disagreement.

The next reply from my memory replayed in my head, "Please, be sure to get the schedule steady before you let your feelings run amok. If you cannot focus, then the job that you're handling will move to the first available cop before you know it."

"Hmm. That makes sense," Officer Goldmuzz added after she shifted her right paw from shielding her muzzle to stroke her chin, "I better rein that down before it happens."

Her appearance suddenly moved down then up slightly, which signaled my nodding head. However, the screen shook in each direction and something pressed on my right shoulder. I couldn't be certain that the microscope suddenly grew an arm and shook me- Oh, something interfered with my focus on the memory and I opened my eyes, replacing the memory with a view of the backside of the driver's seat. I turned my eyes to my right shoulder, where the red paw rested. I could see that my sight was used to the dark at this minute, thanks to my 'power nap'. This paw was what shook me wake, drawing my consciousness to reality. I lifted my glance to Nick's rabbit face. He withdrew his paw from my shoulder once he sensed my sight set on him.

He spoke, "We are here at Precinct Five. Hope you have enough energy to move around, Carrots."

"Yeah, the brief rest here was the best idea I had. Thank you," I said, proceeding to take the seat belt off and put it aside.

I lifted my left paw to the back door, grabbing the handle to open it, which made the light turn on that nearly had me wringing in pain. But I had to deal with it as I got out of the cruiser and blinked to pry off the tingles in my eyes. I shut the door behind me at same time other officer shut their. That turned off the low power light in the cruiser. I felt a little bit lethargic- er, no, that's the wrong word - sluggish. So, I used the timing to get my sight back to normal to get my tightened muscles to loosened up. I intertwined my digits in front of me with my paw pads away from me then straightened my arms out. Feeling the tension in back of my arms, I lifted my paws until they were above my head. That stretched the muscles in my back. Instinctively, my mouth opened into a yawn and my hind-paw lifted until I was on my claws. I exhaled any sleepiness out of my system when I did this. Unfastening my digits and letting my elbows fold inward, the muscles in my arms and back became easier to stay on my hind-paws and that felt refreshed each time I did that. I smacked my lips together as I dropped my arms to my sides. I opened my eyes and found out that my sight had returned to normal. I turned my head to Nala Goldmuzz as she approached me and Nick. We started to walk toward Precinct Five as my memory stirred up something and I found one thing - that was Yuri Grayfur. He was in the heart of Zootopia last time I saw him, and I wanted to let my partner know about this fact. The light from the precinct was enough to get the details of my partner's appearance, though it was no longer hurting my eyes like it had in the cruiser few minutes ago.

"Slick Nick... Yuri's in the heart of Zootopia as we speak. That must be why we do not see him with Officer Goldmuzz right now," I explained once his head turned to me, which he sensed my 'want-to-let-him-know-what-was-up' behavior.

We walked past the open doors and entered the building. Nick gave me a confused gaze once my words sank in. Nala noticed this and inhaled lightly.

"Officer Hopps is right - my partner is there for a different reason. We believed that the culprit was there at this minute, hence him searching there," she explained, cleaning up the confusion.

When we reached the split in the hall, we stopped walking and stood in a triangular formation that we could see each other. Officer Goldmuzz, who stood furthest, lifted her right paw in the air with her paw pad pointing upward.

"And when I read the notepad that Officer Hopps wrote on, I started to realize that this case is actually connected to the case she lost four months ago," she continued, "And I think that it is essential information to give to Chief Thakrar. I need to go and let him know about the discovery you have made."

Nick and I watched her turn to the direction of the chief's office and walk down that path. I turned to my now-rabbit partner and he gave me a curious gaze.

"Where did you see Yuri this morning?" he asked, putting his palms on his hips.

I scrutinized his appearance, which I realized that he wore the uniform that I used to wear before I turned wolfy. I closed my eyes and shook my head to clear my distraction then focused on his question.

"He got on the bus that I rode on the way to Precinct One - he smelled for my scent then glanced at me. He smiled at me once he recognized who I was," I answered. I nodded slowly, "That perhaps explains why Officer Goldmuzz was able to recognize who I am without any fuss."

"Yes."

That word came from Nala, making me open my eyes and look at her. She walked back to us and continued her response.

"Officer Grayfur informed me of your species changing, Officer Hopps. And right now, he's at DMV, proceeding to get the license number of the stolen vehicle written down."

I nodded as my cPhone vibrated in my pocket. I tilted my head toward the vibration and reached in my pocket to pull the cPhone out. I held it in front of my snout and watched as the black screen lit into my Chief's portrait with 'Call' on it. Air brushed my shoulders, telling me that Nick and Nala had moved behind me to see who was on the phone. I put my opposite digit on the square button with single arrow on it then slipped my digit to my left, unlocking the cPhone. The screen turned black then it changed into the MuzzleTime app, with the animated screen of Chief Bogo displayed on it.

"I just got a call from DMV that you did a grand job pick up the missing piece of the jigsaw and put it together. And I kindly wish that you remember to let me know whenever you feel exhausted," he started the conversation.

I nodded, already regretting not doing that part, then spoke, "Yes sir. So that means we are one step closer to closing the case?"

"Yes, but don't get your hopes up too quickly. We are not as fast as you are... well, you were because you're now a vixen," the chief pointed out.

I gave him a confiding nod, "Alright, be sure to have your squad ready to make an arrest. If you need any help that requires my knowledge to have him arrested, let me know and I will answer your ring."

He gave me an acknowledging nod then I pressed the red button with 'End' on it to end the call. I pressed on the home button to exit the MuzzleFace app then I pocketed my cPhone. I turned to Nala and Nick as they stepped from me then I exhaled lightly.

"We are making progress here," I admitted.


	14. Chapter N7: Tails or Head?

**Credit**

* Zootopia characters that appeared in this chapter belong to Disney

* Nala Goldmuzz and Chief Thakrar as physical appear in this chapter, with the onscreen appearance of Yuri Grayfur and the mentioned of Ditz and 'Dun Ot', are all belong to me, serving their purpose for this story

* * *

 **Author Note**

CanzetYote: As I answered on the Private Message-

"1) It's B - Nick's a rabbit. A rabbit like what Judy used to be in "SpecieSwitch". How can a rabbit have a snout long enough for the tear to reach his nose?

2) Nick from SpecieSwitch would be freak out when you do that.

3) 1 out of 10, it's a pain in the ears that spilled his tears.

4) 5 out of 10."

* * *

Ah, I think that I have this new skill down right. I remembered that I learned how to put it to use an hour ago, but forgot all about it when I started searching for my partner. So, at that time I first learned and started to work with my skill, I was in a taxi cab that my chief suggested that I take. At that time, the driver and I were still in heart of Zootopia, so it was light out there. I pulled out my cPhone, which was rather big for my rabbit size right now. I turned it on and opened the Zoo-Chrome Site app on it. I furrowed my eyebrows as I typed down the words 'Rabbit Ears' in the search bar; then I entered the search button to start the search. It brought up a list of how the rabbit ears work and I was hoping to extend my knowledge on how to use my rabbit ears. I pushed my opposite-jointed digit on one link from the search list and the screen changed to science research information. Bah, not my style. I pushed the back button to return to the search list and pressed the link below the one already visited. Instead of bringing up rabbits details, it showed bat details. It was called "Fore's Echolocation Article". I frowned and blinked at the random difference. This article now had me interesting. At top of the screen was a bold word; 'Fore', following with a wall of text with a gray x-ray picture of bat mammalian's head and ears.

"Hmm," I pursed my lips together and tried to set my right paw, finding the comfortable position to hold the phone but I accidentally tapped on the x-ray picture.

The screen changed into the different picture, showing the black-furred mammalian with red highlights on... uh- his crazy long-fur style into spikes. This character seemed like it was from the video game where the fastest thing that lived was starred. I wrinkled the bridge of my nose as I returned to the previous page, back to "Fore's Echolocation Article". I scrolled down the page to scrutinize everything on that site, trying to find something interesting to actually learn how to use my long ears. The following words interesting me; 'Ultrasound', 'Echolocation', and 'Vibration'. I quickly memorized how to use the ears via those three words. A voice alerted me and I drew my attention from my cPhone. That voice belonged to the driver of the cab. We were now stopping at a red light, just right next to the wall with the tunnel entrance that separated two different districts.

"We are about to enter Nocturnal District, so please either dim the light of your phone or turn it off so that I can focus on driving?" the cab driver informed.

I nodded, "Thanks for notifying me. I've got what I need to know. I am turning my phone off now."

The bunny driver nodded with a smile on his muzzle. I pressed the home button, shrinking the app into nowhere and returning to the home screen. I pressed the button on top of cPhone to turn it off and pocketed it. The taxi cab was steering to the right, entering the street tunnel that connected the heart of Zootopia to the Nocturnal District. The road inside the huge wall just went around, around, and around as we descended from group level. Finally, we exited the tunnel into the completely pitch-black district known as Nocturnal District. The driver turned on the high beams and GPS to guide him through the darkness while I started my self-taught lesson. After I failed to get the skill down twice, I began to believe that the driver was right about turning the light of - the front light of the cab distracted me. I closed my eyes and began to concentrate on my hearing. It appeared that I didn't have to be so focused on my hearing; I could see the vibration and ultrasound as soon as I closed my eyes. All I needed to do was to keep the noise from overwhelming me. The ultrasound was green in my vision, duplicating on what I saw with my eyes open, now that I could pick up more than met my eyes. The study I picked up actually worked.

* * *

Now back to the present, I finally reapplied my developed sense, which I am call "Nick's Green REU Sense". The 'REU' was short for 'Rabbit Ear Ultrasound'. When the light in Goldmuzz's patrol vehicle turned off, the green ultrasound of my surrounding instantly appeared. Carrots fumbled for the seat belt to her left and clicked it in after the gravity in the vehicle reverted to normal. She now groped the air toward me, searching for either my paw or shoulder. At that minute, I lifted my paw toward her.

"Slick... be sure to wake me up when we arrive at Precinct Five," my partner uttered as soon as I grabbed her lifting paw.

I furrowed my eyebrows and nodded, "Sure, take it easy."

I let her paw go and she dropped her arms to her sides. Her head lolled to the side as if her strings were cut. The green ultrasound suddenly fuzzed as I picked various words that I hadn't heard before come from Nala's mouth. I turned to her, shifting the screen of green ultrasound to the lioness in her driver seat. Those 'various words' I pointed out were quite bad for kits to use, which meant that Officer Goldmuzz was upset about something and I wanted to know what made her to act like that. My green ultrasound focused again once I balanced the noises.

"Ah, my dear Nala, what's the matter?" I inquired, showing my true personality.

Her head shook from left to right to left then back to straight, "It's extreme rare to see two mammalians have their clothes changed. Worst, you are wearing her clothes and she yours."

It took me a second to figure that the 'clothes' she mentioned was referring to the species, not the actual clothes that we were wearing. I turned my left ear to Officer Hopps to keep her within my ultrasound range, as Nala steered to the left and added a new question; "When did you find yourself in different clothes?"

"This morning, as soon as I woke up and saw my rabbit paw instead of my usual red fox one," I answered, seeing that my partner was still out cold.

The lioness turned the steering wheel back straight and held her position there. The engine, the heartbeat, and the echoes of talking were what kept the ultrasound at full solid vision, giving me all the views possible with my 'Nick's Green REU Sense'. This was way better than when I guided Carrots back to the rented cruiser. It almost resembled the night sight I had when I was still a fox, only now in green instead of bright gray.

"How did the prey cloth affect you?" came from the driver.

"Just barely," I responded, furrowing my eyebrows try to remember how it happened, "Only two things that I have to deal with; I concentrate on keeping out the pointless noises and I have to eat more than I used to."

With two directions of my vision; my left one was still focused on my partner to see any change and my right one toward the front seats of the cruiser with Officer Goldmuzz driving in the left seat. I could see the lioness's jaw moving in silence then she became perfect still, other than her forearms that moved up and down slightly while gripping the steering wheel. I felt my eyes getting itchy. I blinked to pry the itch off, relieving the pain. I picked up Nala's mumbling; 'And to this, I thought I was completely doubting him. I. Doubt. Him!'. I sighed and laid my back on the cushion behind me. I decided to play dumb and remain silent for the rest of the trip. Within the dark space of the cruiser, I could only see the details of anything inside, none on the outside. That meant I was not that good at picking them up. The vibration and the noises of the vehicle helped me greatly to understand all the details from my own vision that I couldn't see. After three minutes of silent treatment, the light at the front of vehicle started to get bright. That hurt my eyes since I was seeing the ultrasound. That was the cue for me to tone the ultrasound down. I turned my head to Carrots, reached for his shoulder, and shook her awake.

* * *

Now, after Officer Goldmuzz walked back to us and Hopps closed her MuzzleTime then turned to me and Nala as she spoke, "We are making progress here."

I blinked and I found myself in Chief Thakrar's office, standing to my partner's left. The lioness was standing to my left, at least a couple of fox tails away from us. The chief was behind his desk, looking over me and Officer Hopps. He nodded with a smile on his dark gray muzzle.

"I see. I see... it appears that Grayfur wasn't wrong with his source after all. No wonder why he's your best partner, Goldmuzz," the black wolf said, glancing at the large female predator officer.

Following the chief's glance, I looked at Goldmuzz as she thumped her palms on her hip and furrowed her eyebrows. She responded, "Yessir, that's right. Knowing Grayfur long enough that he didn't playing us like a fool, even when it comes with the source."

"Yes, yes," Chief Thakrar nodded, rubbing his paw pads together with a sheer grin on his muzzle and his eyes closed. He continued, "Do you think you can get Officer Grayfur on your MuzzleTime?"

At this point, I decided to tune this silly conversation out and turned to Carrots, who walked to the chair. I suddenly walked up to her and assisted her onto the chair, keeping her from hurting herself. Once I propped her bum with my right shoulder, her tail smacked me on the right side of my head several times before I grabbed it with my right paw, preventing it from distracting me further.

"Judy!" I called out solemnly, using the boost to push her up onto the seat.

With her knees thumping on the edge of the seat, I let her tail go and sidestepped, avoiding another tail racking. I watched her as she turned around and parking her tail on her left side, my right. Once she thumped her tail on the seat, I lifted my paws onto the edge of the seat and climbed up, made a quick one-hundred-and-eighty degree turn around, and sat next to her. When I was getting relaxed on the chair, her long gray arms wrapped my chest and yanked me onto her lap. My eyes almost popped out of my skull as she shoved me onto her lap and embraced my chest tightly. Once the dust settled, I was uncomfortable on her lap due to not sitting properly. Her arms were still around my chest with her muzzle nuzzling the left side of my muzzle. My hind-paws were resting on the right side of her right thigh. I glanced at her snout as it swung up and down slightly in her muzzle-nuzzling.

"Hey, Carrots. Please take it easy. We know that you're tired and right now, you're pushing into a situation that would put you in the hospital," I reminded.

Fortunately for my sensitive ears, I could hear her mumbling the following line; "Yeah, Slick. But I need your scent... that's what keep me from dropping off the planet's face."

It took me few seconds to get used to her tight grip, but still I could feel the pain shot up through my hip. My legs were not in the correctly aligned, which was the reason why this sitting position was insufferable. With the atmosphere settled around me and Hopps, I switched my attention to Officer Goldmuzz and Chief Thakrar. The chief was now standing by the side of the desk instead of behind it, repeatedly bowing at Nala's cPhone S+ and rubbed his paw pads together, like some kind of a loser manager of a family restaurant with some teenage mammalians fawning over him, despite his mistakes. Was it 'Heavy Rain'...? Ah, no, that's the game name. I was looking for the manga name... ah, never mind. The chief mumbled a bunch of apologize to Yuri on the phone, like some senseless students who messed up the chemical in the science laboratory and nearly sent the school skyward. I began to grow settled in Hopps' arms while the scene continued to play.

"Nick... why are you not even trying to leave my arms... you sued to do that for two months before today?" my partner asked.

I frowned as I glanced at her snout once again then I answered, "Well, 'Dun Ot' did this to me long before I came to rescue you from being lost. And she held me tighter compared to you."

I huffed through my nose as the vixen nuzzled my muzzle and snuggled on my back lightly. For some reason that I am a rabbit and possess a prey instinct, which normally sensed any kind of danger from predators, yet I detected no danger from Carrots. Perhaps it's one of those... uh, argh, never mind!

Changing the topic, I suggested, "Hey, Carrots. You know that it's fine for me to sit beside you on the sharable chair. At least my scent won't leave you as long as I stay this close?"

"Nah-uh, your scent wasn't enough - I need to hold you closer... I need to understand being in your predator eyes."

I wrinkled the bridge of my nose, lifting my left arm to her head and resting my paw on a spot above her left temple. I surrendered trying to reason with her. With me 'let it go' made her hugging me better and nuzzle my muzzle some more. My right ear picked up heavy pawsteps and my eyes darted back to Nala, who approached me and Officer Hopps.

"Well, they're sitting in the chair meant for a rhino, snuggling and kissing each other," the lioness talked to her phone.

I glanced at the gray muzzle as I felt the vibration of laughter, seeing her bare the fangs at Officer Goldmuzz. The vixen responded with sarcasm, "Oh, shove off, Goldmuzz."

The feline smiled as she turned her phone around, displaying Yuri sitting in a chair to the left side of the screen. Behind him was the DMV desk with a sloth preparing the license plate appilcation. In the fact, Grayfur was waiting for the sloth to finish stamping the paper. That sloth moved at a five-centimeters-per-half-day speed. The officer's orange eyes were scrutinizing the right side of the phone screen, telling me that he was trying to memorize my... ah, new appearance. I figured that he wasn't entire wrong about the species change that Hopps and I went through. I lifted my right paw in front of my head and wiggled my digits back and forth.

"It's good to see you again, Grayfur. Appreciated your heads-up on the necessity of helping paws," I started the conversation.

He nodded, shaking the screen only slightly, as he responded, "It appears that she wasn't the only one going through the change."

"Ah... yes, yes," I nodded, deadpanning at the phone, "We decided to trade our species tags and tried to understand our experience compares to our former life."

Yuri furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head to the right... er, my right side, and added, "Is Hopps doing alright?"

"Yes, she is. She was just exhausted from pushing herself to learn all the fox techniques this morning. I managed to stop her from being hired as The Puppe- ow," I explained, wincing when Carrots pinched my belly right under my chest armor.

Officer Grayfur nodded in understanding, "Ah. I understand how hard it is. She deserves a good break right now."

He turned his head to the paper that approached him at five-centimeters-per-half-day then the display shook slightly before it changed into a black screen then into a MuzzleTime cover. Nala suddenly turned her head to face herself and grimaced at it.

"Talking about bad timing," she deadpanned, pushing a button on it then pocketed it.

I nodded, agreeing on what Nala said. She crossed her arms while her chief sat down behind his desk. I let my left arm fall off Hopps' head, granting her more room to move her head. I felt her arms wrapping around my chest tighter and her cheek rubbing my muzzle affectionately. The lioness blinked as she scrutinized Carrots and me.

"I know that I already asked Wilde this question, but I have to ask again, and keep the chief posted; When did you find yourself in different clothes, and how?" she asked, now her focus was on the question instead of driving.

I responded, "I learned my change of species this morning, right after I woke up scratching my muzzle with my claws."

My partner added her response to mine; "Same as my partner. I nearly grazed my face with my claw when I rubbed the sleep out of my eye."

"Mmm, have you felt any difference... besides the first thing that hit you this morning?" Chief Thakrar asked, concerned about well being.

Officer Hopps' arms around my chest loosened up and her muzzle left my head. We shook our heads to give a single answer to the black wolf's question; no. He nodded with his eyes closed, mumbling a line as following, 'That's a good news then."

"So, what gave you a hard time grasping your new clothes?" Nala asked, lifting her head when she spoke, then lowering it to its original position when she finished speaking.

I blinked, feeling my partner's arms wrapping my chest tightly and her muzzle pressing my head once again, then I responded, "I had a hard time with my new hearing. Fortunately, my mother figured out what happened and got noise-tuners in to tune out the noise before it killed my head. After I woke up from losing my dinner, she had me tune the noises out on my own, without the noise-tuners, which I managed within five minutes."

Officer Goldmuzz nodded then shifted her focus onto Carrots, who answered, "I was fine on my own, until my arrival at Chief Bogo's office. Until he pawed me the hand mirror, I didn't realize that I was a vixen. When I reached Precinct One, I noticed that I could pick up the low noises that I used to hear. Also, I didn't catch on how light-sensitive my sight was until I was nearly blinded this morning but was able to see fine in the dark.

The lioness closed her eyes and nodded slowly, "Annnnd the third problem is, you were tired by the time I picked you two up. Like Wilde told me, you were focused on experimenting with your newfound abilities so you didn't pay attention to your energy limits."

"That's right, Goldmuzz, that was my mistake. From this point on, I must be sure manage my energy while Wilde here keeps his eyes on me to make sure I don't faint again," Officer Hopps agreed.

"Ah," we engaged our attention to the chief as he produced the next line, "It seemed like the 'Mr. Loudness' has found a new inhabitant to lullaby in?"

Nala, Carrots, and I glared at him with a stink eye. Chief Thakrar flinched once he realized that he hit a sensitive topic and brought his paws into the air in his surrender.

"It seemed like I got outvoted by three, so I am turning my sound off now," the wolf finished.

I sighed as my left leg itched to move around - that meant I was getting a blood clot in my left thigh, and it was time to change position. I unfolded my legs, sliding my left leg over Hopps' lap. She picked up what I was doing, squeezing my chest and slightly lifting me from her lap. That made rearranging my legs easier. I straightened my hip and folded my legs inward on each side of her lap. Once I was settled with my new position, I patted her paw with my right paw, letting her know that I was satisfied. She lowered me on her lap and snuggled me warmly. The tingle in my left leg was gone. Despite her large muzzle pressing against my muzzle, I decided not to bug her about this kind of behavior because I understood that it was her coping mechanism for not falling asleep right away. By the time I got my focus back on the surroundings, I found Nala sitting on the chair to my left, out of view behind Carrots' muzzle. I swore I could feel her smile on me and my partner. It was a mask to hide her jealousy, perhaps.

"Eh, are you jealous of me being in a better relationship with Carrots?" I inquired, snarking along the line.

"Ah," she shook her head and waved her right paw in the air, "No, no... I find you adorable just like that."

I was about to complain to Nala some more when my partner decided to snuggle me tighter, even pressing her muzzle over my head. I had to close my left eye to prevent her muzzle fur from stinging my eyeball. This rabbit (Judy Hopps) still had a strong affection for snuggling each other. Also, the way she held me felt different from the way 'Dun Ot' held me - my partner here seemed like she was out for cuddling while 'Dun Ot' held with firmness and respect. It's like comparing a comfortable chair to the chair made out iron.

"Hey, Fluffy..." I struggled to get her to back off a little bit, "I am not a plush pup."

"Hey, Wilde... it's no use," Officer Goldmuzz pointed out, "She's like that whenever she squeezes shredded furs out of the plush, even if she's this tired."

The chair to my right side rumbled, so I glanced at the chief as the ebony wolf got up to leave.

He spoke as he walked to the door, "I will be at the crime file room whenever anyone needs me."

With that, he was gone into the hall and the pawsteps echoed back here. I huffed as I made second attempt to get Officer Hopps to relax. Suddenly, a creamy-furred paw waved above my fox partner's snout, hooking my attention back to the owner of that paw.

"Hey, hey... how did you get Hopps to calm down prior my arrival?" Nala asked, as she stopped wiggling her paw in the air.

I stopped struggling and started to think about her question, "Yeah. I gave her one advice at least three times, and on the third time, she let herself loosen up."

"Then here's my suggestion to you... listen to the advice you told Hopps. In other word, heed your own advice," the lioness suggested, dropping her paw from the air so that it disappeared behind Carrots' snout.

I blinked as my own advice echoed through my head, directly from my memory; 'Just don't take it all in at once.', and immediately my body loosened up. I could feel my body relax on Officer Hopps' front, rearranging in the position that I felt comfortable in, and the struggle between me and my partner vanished. And now, her grip around my chest became a comforting hug. The stress of the physical struggle in my head lessened once I settled with her.

"Good," the large female predator murred then she got up and walked to the door, "I am sure I am needed elsewhere."

She took the 'Stage Exit Left' sign and left the office. I assured myself that Nala chose this minute to let me and Carrots rest, recovering from our long morning. I moved my arms onto my partner's forearms and rested them there. After a few minutes of being alone in the peaceful atmosphere, my brain stirred around, and I found a new question; Why were our species switched this morning... or last night?

"Ugh," I groaned, starting to have a migraine.

That question must be the reason that caused me to lose my concentration for keeping various noises suppressed. My sight slowly turned red, on both sides of my head. I glanced at my partner as she opened her amethyst eyes and turned them to me alertly. The migraine splashed in my head so hard that I couldn't make a word roll off my tongue and I forced my eyes shut to cope with the pain.


	15. Chapter J8: Onto the Break

**Credit**

* Zootopia characters that appeared in this chapter belong to Disney

* The name "Goldmuzz" and "Mysteria" that appear in this chapter are belong to me, serving their purpose for this story

* Foxy the Pirate that mentioned numerous times belongs to Scott Cawthon

* * *

I heard a soft grumble from my right. It triggered my instinct and woke me from my temporary slumber. I opened my eyes and made a quiet gasp, then I glanced at Nick. For a brief moment, I could see that he was stressed and restrained from screaming at my face. He sure lived up to his quote; 'Never let 'em see that they get to you'. When Nick's eyes shut and his teeth bared at me, adrenaline rushed through my body, restoring me to my regular self. I grabbed his chest armor and lifted him from my chest so I could check his physical health. I rested him on my right arm then I searched him for a problem. For once, I was glad that I was tired at this point, otherwise, I would have hyperventilated or could easily break my partner apart. Though I didn't remember how my body changed from a rabbit to a vixen, I still remembered how fragile a rabbit skeleton was. It could be snapped if I wasn't careful. With the adrenaline rush coursing through my tired body, it brought me back to my regular physical capability instead of overloading me with panic. I didn't feel as if I was underwater and had to come up to get some air, like that time I flushed us from the abandoned hospital. The red rabbit's body looked alright, so I glanced at his face again, which showed the same expression as when he shut his eyes. I slowly shifted my eyes up to his ears.

"Ah," the word slipped through my fangs as I saw the long ears vibrating, which easily passed unnoticed.

I moved my left arm to his scalp and rested my left forearm there, then slowly slid my forearm down his head. With the contact, his red ears turned backward when my arm approached them then folded backward to avoid obstructing the path of my arm. Once the passages to his eardrums were closed shut, his mouth relaxed and his eyelids lost their wrinkles, however, he kept his eyes closed. That lessened the pain in his head for the moment. I sighed lightly and held my partner comfortably, keeping my forearm on the outside part of his ears to muffle his hearing. My eyelids slowly closed halfway as I comforted Nick by starting to snuggle and cuddle. A bang reached my pointy ears and the vibration of the banging door shot through my body, startling me from my thoughts of what I was doing right now. I glanced at the lioness as she stood by the door while I kept my arms still.

"Nala... what are you up to?" I asked, working on calming down my slightly trembling nerves. She replied, "There's a red vixen coming in, barking around like... 'Nick this' and 'Nick that'. She also holds something in her paw, other than her purse."

"That might be a pair of noise-tuners. Nick mentioned them early and I wore them in the past," I suggested, suddenly remembering wearing them one time between the case that I lost and the case that I covered today.

Officer Goldmuzz nodded, "I think so - I can see that in the distance."

"Then that's Mysteria Wilde - Nick's mother. Bring her in, please. Her intuition is good, I swear," I said, waving at the lioness with my left paw to encourage her to go fetch the vixen.

With my order reached her ears, she disappeared back into the hall. I quickly pressed my left forearm on the back of the long red ears to keep Nick's hearing from being disturbed. I believed that this was the only way to keep him calm until the noise-tuners arrived. His right paw came to my chest armor and held on the top edge between the shoulder straps, resting his arm on my chest as i held him comfortably. I smiled as I looked at his relaxing face. I remember the day before I became aware of the noise-tuners, it was between that day I lost the original case file to now - during those four months, if I recall correctly. A sudden pain throbbed in my head as my recently recovered memory from that day resurfaced. I blinked and I found that I was staring at my rabbit paws. I was in the hall of Precinct One, just at front of the door to the interrogation room, with Nick Wilde in his fox appearance standing to my left. I lowered my paws and lifted my head to the door then I approached it with Nick treading behind me. I felt his right paw thumping my back.

"Everything will be alright - all you have to do is talk and ask the questions," my partner encouraged me as I reached for the doorknob of the canine-sized door.

I tightened my face with confidence and twisted the doorknob. As the door opened, we entered the interrogation room and sat on our chairs. I shifted my glance onto the suspect, whom sat on other side of the table with his waist chained to the flat-top. This suspect was a red fox with blue eyes in his black work uniform. I pulled out a notepad and flipped the front cover over.

"Now, here's the deal. If you answer the question honestly, you will reduce your sentence," I started the negotiation.

The suspect gave me a blank stare. His right forepaw covered his left forepaw on the table. I cleared my throat then I glanced at my notepad, studying the question at the top of the page. With the question burned in my mind, I Returned my attention to the suspect.

"First question; Why did you set up the raid in 'Hippo Bath & Kitchen'?" I asked, keeping my attention on the suspect.

We paused for him to produce an answer, but after a few seconds of waiting, he hadn't moving a muscle, let alone opened his mouth to speak. All I could see on him was his blank stare as he sat like a statue. His blue eyes were empty and soulless.

Nick shrugged, taking a turn, "Fine. Have it your way - I doubt that the prison meals will taste good after a week in a prison cell. After a few months of eating stale meals in there, you would beat the bars with your coffee cup, begging to be free."

I sighed and blinked as I turned my head to my partner. While my eyes were closed during my blink, my hearing suddenly rang, and my mind was stunned. With my balance out of my control, I fell onto the floor, thudding on my right side. With my stunned head, I clasped my head with my forepaws, trying to hold my focus. It was hard to keep my mind straight with the noise in my sensitive ears. Instinctively, I whiffed the air, but I smelled nothing so I had to open my eyes, seeing myself in the grey smoky room. My sight was fine. My curves were touched by strong paws that lifted me from the floor as Nick came into sight. He was panicked with his ears folded down on the back of his head and his mouth opening and closing in talk, but I couldn't pick up any words from him. My touch sense was fine. With my hearing being stunned, I couldn't control the muscles in my face. That left me with a stiff face with an anxious gaze. He turned his head to his right. I closed my eyes to try to cope with the confusion. The memory ended here, I opened my eyes and looked at the relaxed rabbit in my arms.

"Uh," I blinked, having a feeling that the mammalians are approaching - oh, and the lioness's pawsteps were loud.

I lifted my head to look at the door, seeing Nala and Mysteria enter the room. I blinked as the red vixen blurred her way to the chair that Nick and I occupied. The way she charged toward the chair was what startled me, but I kept my position.

"Ah," I yelped as Mrs. Wilde sprang from the floor into the air without even flexing her abdomen.

Her red tail was the only part of her body that slow swung upward when the gravity took hold of her and pulled her back down. The momentum she had moved her toward my seat, and she landed on my right. I could see her easily. After the thud was made, she started to move again, turning to me and sitting down. What kind of a trick was that? Ah, never mind! Put that on the 'Later' list - um, the new one as the previous one was filled with my species changing. She pawed me one of the noise-tuners and I quickly inserted it in Nick's right ear. While I did that, Mysteria lifted her son's left and inserted the other one as quick as I did. I figured that she saved me the effort to keep the ears covered. I exhaled lightly as I laid my red partner on my chest with his chin on my right shoulder. I blinked as I glanced at the elder vixen.

"Ah, hey. At least I got here in time, right, Judith?" she cheered, not fizzled by my new appearance.

I glanced at her with an eyebrow raised - right now was the first time my partner's mother had actually seen me in vixen form and she didn't bat an eye at the difference. I lifted my left paw to Nick's back and rested it there to feel his heartbeat through my... paw pad. My mind was still on the rabbit rather than on the vixen. It felt like a rabbit kit step- argh, a kit step. I kept forgetting that I am now a vixen - no need to include 'rabbit' anymore. Unfortunately, I didn't expect something that came out of Mysteria's mouth.

"I knew that both of you had your species changed," the red vixen said, sensing the unspoken question in my mind.

Officer Goldmuzz and I gasped in surprise at Nick's mother's response. I raised my eyebrow even higher, slowly baring my fangs in disgust.

"The one that must guide the students to master their unexpecting abilities. As the one that had experienced flaws should witness their students' experiences of their new flaws. They are your strongest points and you are their spirit guide," Mrs. Wilde spoke in a riddle, stunning me a little bit then I shook my head.

Before I could speak, she searched through her tiny purse that hung on her right forearm for something, then gave it to me and spoke, "Better to eat this. It will restore your energy instantly."

I took the 'something', which turned out to be a red-and-white candy and popped it in my mouth - I decided to trust Mysteria's word since there was more than meets the eye about her. A few seconds after I gulped the candy, my head became clear and my physical strength was back fully, as if my long morning had never happened at all.

"Ah," I sighed happily, rearranging my sitting position properly.

"You're on a break right now. And yes, I talked to your chief before I came here," Mysteria said. She lifted her attention to me, tending the purse on her forearm, "Both of you have to come with me so you can learn how to use your new abilities now that you're in each other's pelt. The chances of changing back to your birth species are slim to none."

As the red vixen turned away from me and jumped off the chair, I turned my head to Nala. I urged the large predator to grab hold Nick. She picked up the hint and reached to take my partner off me. I stood up, hopped down onto the floor then turned to the lioness and held my arms in the air. Nick was put back in my arms, but this time, I carried him like a newborn kit. By the time I turned to look for Mysteria, she was already walking out of the office through the doorway.

"Thank you for your help and see you later," I said, racing toward the only door in the office.

I caught up with my partner's mother in the hall. While we strolled down the hall, she asked, "Where did you park your rented cruiser?"

"At the pinpoint road of the current case I am working - Nala brought us here because I was exhausted and Nick was incapable of driving due to him being a rabbit," I explained, putting my effort to remember the address.

We approached the entrance of Precinct Five. I grunted as I hauled Nick up a little for a better hold then I secured my grip around him. At first, I saw a pitch-black space from outside then, once we walked past the doorway, details started to appear in the grey colors. This must be what the preda- wait, did I just repeat this line?

"Go easy using that ability - that was what make you tired. I am aware that you need to see, but it's better to rest the sight when you're not busy looking around... or looking at my son's racy appearance under the blanket," Mysteria pointed out, noticing that I was focusing on my sight.

"Right... right..." I nodded slowly. I tried to work my mind to remember the street address, however, my thoughts shifted to Nick's shirtless rabbit body under the blanket, showing off his hot bodybuilding details. I blinked then shook my head to clear the unexpecting image then I glared at the elder vixen, who smirked. I complained, "Hey, wait! We are not that far into a relationship yet!"

"Heh, I jested," she smiled normally. We were just a few paws from the stop pit and she lifted her free paw to wave down a taxi cab. She reminded me, "But heed my advice please; just don't use it when you don't need it."

I nodded again, finally recalling the address, then I replied, "Alright, the address is 644 Black Street of the Nocturnal District. That's where I left the rented cruiser - just look for a green tag on the lamppost."

Once we reached the spot pit, we stood next to the sign of either a canine or lagomorph then we waited. The traffic was starting to get busy and fortunate for us, a taxi cab pulled up and parked beside us. Mrs. Wilde opened the back passenger door and allowed me to get in. Once I was settled on the left seat, she climbed in and shut the door. She gave the address to the driver while she belted then assisted me by holding Nick up. Once I clicked the seatbelt in, I wrapped my arms around the knocked-out rabbit firmly. At this point, I had decided to take the elder vixen's words to heart and turned off my Night Sight ability to rest my eyes. The grey details faded, leaving me in the pitch-black sight once again.

I felt a paw on my right bicep as she spoke, "Are you doing alright?"

"Yeah. I decided to take your words to heart and save my energy during the ride," I explained, snuggling the sleeping rabbit gentle.

I could feel a smile from Mysteria as she replied, "Good. I will let you know when we get to the location where you parked your rented cruiser."

Her paw left my bicep and I put my focus on keep Nick stabilized in my arms. A few seconds later, the image of Nick's shirtless rabbit feature from before returned to my mind - that made me glance to my left and sigh furiously. I felt a blush on the top of my muzzle. I couldn't believe that I let her jesting words get the better of me.

* * *

After a couple of minutes in the dark, I managed to get rid of the silly images of a shirtless Nick from my head. I let myself relax, however, I held myself firmly to not let Nick sag too much. He had earned his well-deserved rest after he went out of his way to find me, prevent me from succumbing into complete darkness, and bring me back to the rented cruiser. That was after I wasted my physical energy trying to wrap the case up as well as experimenting with my new canine abilities. With my left paw pad pressing on his back, I could feel his rabbit heartbeat, which was like me and my species that had a fast-paced heartbeat, pumping blood through his body. I focused on my own heartbeat, which was a slightly slower than I remembered. I recognized that I was now vixen with my energy restored to full power, thanks to Mysteria's candy. The digits of his right paw were still curling on top of my chest armor, keeping his arm in the position he wanted it to be in. I allowed him to hold on because it helped him to cope his relaxing mind.

"Ah," I sighed lightly.

I blinked as Mrs. Wilde shook my shoulder. I recognized that we had arrived at the pinpoint street where I had left my undercover cruiser. The driver of the taxi was really good at driving around without disturbing his passengers, purposely to not stir sleeping mammalians. The light in the taxi cab lit up when Mysteria opened the door, I lifted Nick off my chest- oh, and his paw that clasped on my chest armor was over the seatbelt, so it wasn't a problem. His mother reached for the buckle and pushed the button to release the belt. While I held my partner with my right arm, all I had to move my left arm in reflex to let the seatbelt fly off my body. The elder vixen paid the fare then she left through the open door. I slid my left forearm under Nick's bum and lifted him slightly then I followed her out of the vehicle. Before I could go through the doorway of the vehicle, Mysteria turned to me and held her arms out, suggesting to me that it's her turn to carry him.

"Hm," I grunted as I arranged my position, then I bestowed Nick to her.

Once she had him in her arms and had walked away from the cab, I pulled myself out of the vehicle. With the pads of my hind-paws pressing on the concrete, I turned to the open door and shut it. I instinctively turned on my Night Sight ability, bringing the grey details into my sight. At this minute, I realized that Mrs. Wilde wanted me to unlock the rented cruiser and ready it to drive off - it was the only vehicle that I had used up to this point. In other word, I was still the only mammalian of the three to have access to that cruiser; the ignition key. I glanced at her as a question came to my mind.

"Do you need me to open the door?" I asked, receiving a head nod.

I turned my head back to where the taxi cab had been and recognized that it was gone. Vanished! Ghosted! Whatever the word was; I already missed my rabbit ears, gosh! I blinked and started to walk to the front passenger door while I reached for the key in my pocket to unlock the cruiser. I opened the door with my Night Sight dimmed slightly then I watched Mysteria climb in without use her forepaws. That was impressive. I shut the door with my Night Sight back to its full intensity, then worked my way around the cruiser and got on the driver's seat. With the light still on, I turned my ability off then turned to her and assisted her with the seatbelt. Once she was secured with Nick in her arms, I sat down and clicked my seatbelt on. Then I started the engine. With the driver's door shut, I steered the cruiser off the side of the road. I kept my Night Sight ability off because lights have to be on in the dark. A new question came in my mind, which I couldn't resist to ask.

"By the way, Mysteria... how did you know that Nick and I were about to crash in Precinct Five?" was my question.

I could feel a smirk coming from the elder vixen then I heard her answer; "Well, have you met your spirit partner yet? The red one that talked to you in gibberish language?"

I suddenly remembered that time in the alley, where I limped my way toward the flickering lamppost with a massive headache and exhaustion. That was the time I came to face a fox dressing in the pirate clothes. This fox was who Mysteria spoke of.

I nodded lightly, "Yeah. He talked nonsense to me and obstructed my path a few times before the brown bear removed him. That's the last time I saw them."

"Ah, that must be the one you didn't take in easily. The red fox is your spirit partner and will assist you through the difficult phases. Either try to learn his language or use another way to have a conversation with him," Mrs. Wilde said as we approached the border that separated the Nocturnal District from the area above.

I put that thought on hold as I drove up the swirling road that went around, around, and around as we ascended toward ground level. I grunted and worked my sight to keep from squinting when the daylight came from the ground level. It was a little difficult after spending a long time in the dark, but the lights from the cruisers did help a little bit. I exhaled lightly, glad that Nick's mother helped me seize control of my Night Sight ability. The traffic light was green, so I just steered to my left and got in line. The earlier conversation returned to my mind once I joined the line of waiting vehicles that were stopped at the red light. I glanced at Mysteria with a concerned gaze on my face.

"So you want me to accept this red pirate fox as my spirit partner?" I inquired.

She nodded with a smile on her muzzle, "Yeah. He will help you greatly. Even if he's quite bothersome, he can be a signal or give you direction."

I turned my head back to the steering wheel, however the momentum made me swing my head too hard to the left then back to the steering wheel. I groaned. No wonder she was named 'Mysteria'; she made it difficult to figure things out. I heard a loud throat clearing, then I looked up to the traffic light which was now green, and the vehicle in front of me was moving away. I started to accelerate the cruiser forward. After a few minutes of driving around, we arrived at Precinct One and I turned the rented cruiser onto the driveway then parked it in the garage. Once I got it parked at exactly three thousand rabbit paws from the door to the building, I turned off the engine. Then I helped Mrs. Wilde out of the cruiser.

"Ah," I sighed as I jumped onto the floor. Then I shut the door behind me.

I went to the lobby while the elder vixen worked her way back to the entrance that I had driven the cruiser through. She still carried Nick in her arms. I walked past the doorway into the building, then toward Clawhauser's desk. I saw Chief Bogo standing in front of that desk. He turned his head to me, hearing my pawsteps. He blinked then flinched with his eyes widening in surprise.

"Hopps? How could you be at full energy this fast?" he inquired.

I turned to the desk and jumped to grab the edge of the flat top with my left forepaw then pulled myself up with some use of my hind-paws. As I stood up on the flat top, I answered, "Mysteria Wilde was the reason I regained my energy."

Clawhauser glanced at me with a relaxed face and focused eyes as I pawed him a rented cruiser key. I turned to Chief as the cheetah put it away. The blue mammalian crossed his arms and grimaced at me.

"Alright. Due to your efforts earlier as well as her negotiation, I grant you and your partner the rest of today as well as tomorrow off. Be sure to use that time to learn your new appearance and abilities. I don't want you to fall off the face of Zootopia again. You're dismissed," the cape buffalo said, pointing out my flaws.

I stood straight and proper to salute my chief. I turned to the double doors and jumped off the desk onto the floor. I walked through the doorway and saw Mrs. Wilde slam the back passenger door shut then walk to the front passenger door and open it. She glanced at me then gestured me to get in as I approached her. Before I could get in the vehicle, I glanced at her with a concerned gaze.

"Spirit Partner...? Ah, never mind - we will talk when we get to your place," I said, changing my mind not to delay.

I arched my back, put my paws inside, and crawled inside the vehicle to sit down in the passenger seat. I clamped as the door slammed shut. I had forgotten that I was no longer a rabbit - old habits diehard. I grabbed the seatbelt and clicked it in just as Mysteria opened the driver's door and got in.

"Hm," I sighed, getting myself relaxed in the seat and watched her slam the door shut then belt up.

I frowned and raised my eyebrow as she started the engine. I began to suspect this vixen, because of how well prepared she was when Nick and I were getting into trouble with new life in each other's pelt. I wondered where Mysteria got the information - the Weasel News? I reached in my cop belt for my cPhone and pulled it out. I turned it on and checked the news app, only to find no information about species changing at all. I frowned as I exited the app then turned the phone screen black - I was confused as to how Mysteria learned about this species changing... The vehicle that she drove was slowing to stop next to her home. I pocketed the phone, released the seatbelt, and got out of the vehicle once she turned the engine off. Once I was on my hind-paws, I looked down at myself, seeing that I was still wearing my uniform. I glanced at my right, where the elder vixen had the back passenger door open - I didn't hear her move at all.

"Hey... what about the uniform?" I asked.

She pulled Nick out of the backseat and held him like a baby then she shut the door, "Keep it on... wear it like a second pelt. All you need to do is to make yourself familiar with your new appearance and abilities."

I huffed in disappointment as I followed Mrs. Wilde to her house, and we went in. While I wandered toward the couch, I suddenly remembered my words from just before I sat down on the passenger seat; 'Spirit Partner'. I reflected on the conversation I had with Mysteria and realized that the pirate fox went to alert her of my problem. That explained why she reached for me and saved us from literally falling off the face of Zootopia. I turned around to sit down on the right side of the couch and sighed as the elder vixen laid her son on the unoccupied seat to my left.

"Hm," I hmphed, forcing myself to relax so I could regain more energy.

I closed my eyes and tried to remember what happened that day after my hearing sense was attacked by an unknown force. At that moment, the noise of ringing in my head toned down and I was able to open my eyes. Nick Wilde ,who was a fox at that time, crouched by my left side to watch my physical response. He smiled and nodded his head.

"So that really work, right, mother?" he said, shifting his attention to his left, where Mysteria was standing out of my sight.

I heard her comment; "Ah, good. The noise-tuners work great. Let's hope that they last for a long time."

"Uh..." I groaned; my head throbbed with pain.

That drew Nick's eyes back to me, "Well, not perfect - her head's still hurting. And our suspect got away because of the strange timing of us being distracted in the middle of our negotiation."

"Sheesh... Wilde, Hopps, get to the hospital and fix yourselves up. I will be sure to prevent this kind of trick from occurring again," the grumpy male called out.

My partner turned his head to me and gave me a fang smile as I felt his right paw sliding under my neck. I blinked as I stared at his green eyes. I had already forgotten what had just happened.


End file.
